‘Hearts have been shattered:’ Utah Jewish community reacts to hostage deaths

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Jewish community is mourning the lives of the six hostages killed in Gaza. Israel’s military said the bodies were recovered from an underground tunnel in the city of Rafah. 

“People’s hearts have been shattered,” said Rabbi Benny Zippel with Chabad Lubavitch of Utah. 

He said knowing these six men and women won’t come home has brought immense pain to his community. 

“There was a hope everyone was clinging to they would return,” Zippel said. “When things like this happen, it is a crack in our hope, not broken. Hope is never broken. A crack that allows light to come in and yet a crack it is.” 

A mother’s story

In July, Einav Danino, the mother of Ori Danino, one of the hostages, came to Utah to share her son’s story. She spoke at Chabad of Park City. 

“She was hopeful, she was driven, she was focused, she was optimistic, she was idealistic,” Zippel said. “You could tell, a Jewish woman who is suffering, a mother who is suffering and yet never gave up hoping she was determined that she was going to be reunited with her son.” 

Ori Danino was kidnapped by Hamas at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.  

“He reminded himself that there were some friends back there who may still need to be rescued, and so he willingly, on his own accord, decided to go back in and reach out for his friends,” Zippel said.  

That’s when he was taken.  

He said it makes the situation more heartbreaking knowing her son’s life was taken. 

Israeli-American University of Utah law professor Amos Guiora said there’s a closeness Israelis feel with each other. 

Protests broke out across Israel following news the hostages were killed. (Amos Guiora)

Personal to all

“It’s incredibly personal, we all know each other,” Guiora said. 

He splits his time between Israel and Utah. 

“I served for 20 years in the Israel Defense Forces, and I’ve been now in American academia 20 years,” he said. “I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I split my time. I’m 50% here, teacher full time work, full time here.” 

His family is in Israel, where he said raw emotion is on display. 

“I don’t know what will be in the days to come, but there is clearly this combination of seething anger and raw emotion,” Guiora said. 

Protests broke out across Israel following news the hostages were killed. There’s concern for the other 101 people in captivity. 

“There was, for many of us, a recognition or understanding that the more this went on, since October 7th, the longer this went on, goes on and on, that most of them, I don’t know the exact number, are in severe peril,” he said. 

Guiora said Israel is split between wanting a hostage deal and those who don’t want to surrender to Hamas. 

He said there’s a growing frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

“I saw texts from friends that the demonstration outside his house tonight is just sad,” Guiora said. “But then at some point, people say, as we say in Hebrew, ‘Dayenu,’ which is ‘enough is enough.'” 

A nationwide strike was held in response to the hostage deaths, impacting banks, air travel and more operations. 

Protests broke out across Israel following news the hostages were killed. (Amos Guiora)

Hopeful of a resolution

Guiora said he’s optimistic the large and loud response to the killing of the six will bring ceasefire discussions closer to resolution. 

“Anger, seething,” he said. “They shouldn’t have been killed.” 

Guiora said, from his perspective, Netanyahu won’t close the deal for personal political reasons. He said that’s where much of Israelis’ anger is stemming from. 

“I think that the killing of the six made it very clear to all of us, I mean, never say all of us, right? But to many of us that if we don’t take to the streets, then the fate of the hostages is all but sealed,” Guiora said. 

Rabbi Zippel said his congregation will continue praying for peace. 

“It is at times such as these that we need to remind ourselves that the best way to overcome any adversity is by displaying unity,” he said. 

He encourages the community to do one good dead in honor of these hostages. 

“The most practical way to fight darkness is by adding light, and so what I would like to encourage people is that people not stop short, and of course feel the pain and the and the tearing, tugging at our hearts from events such as what happened this past weekend, that we take it a step further and we remain committed in adding a light,” Zippel said.