Six months ago, on Tu B’Av, often described as the Jewish Valentine's Day, Rivka Bohbot wrote a letter to her husband, Elkana Bohbot, while he was being held captive by Hamas.
In October, Elkana was released as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Now, as Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday, Rivka has written to him again — this time about a love she says has been reborn after two years of separation.
“My beloved Elkana, this Valentine’s Day is unlike any we have ever known,” Rivka wrote to her husband.
“It carries within it everything we were, everything we survived and everything we are still learning to be. I want you to know that I waited for you. I waited through the long days and endless nights, when the uncertainty was overwhelming and hope was the only thing that held me up. I waited in fear, in faith, sometimes even in anger — but always in love. I fought the only way I knew how, with my heart in my hands, with a trembling voice and a weary soul, because giving up was never an option when it came to you.”
“I went through moments I never imagined I would face,” she continued. “There were days when I felt the world falling apart, and others when a small sign restored my strength. And in every one of those moments, you were there — in my thoughts, in my prayers, in every beat of my heart. And then you came back. And with your return came joy and relief … and also ups and downs. Because coming back does not erase what was experienced, and loving after so much pain requires patience, courage and tenderness.”
“We have had easy days and hard days, silences and learning, but even in the most complicated moments I never stopped choosing you,” Rivka added. “Today I want to tell you that I love you not only for who we once were, but for who we are today. I love you for your strength and also for your fragility, for your laughter and also for your wounds, for being here, for continuing to try. Our love is not perfect, but it is real, deep and full of hope. On this Valentine’s Day, I do not promise a path without challenges, but a hand that does not let go, a heart that believes and a love that continues to choose us. After everything we have been through, I still choose you. Today, tomorrow and every day. With all my love, yours always, Rivka.”
Elkana Bohbot was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7 and held in the Gaza Strip for 738 days.
On Tu B’Av, a video was released showing the wives of hostages addressing their partners in captivity. “I’m sorry that I’m crying — I know the last thing you want is to see me like this,” Rivka said in the video. “I miss you in every way that can be explained. It hurts in my bones.”