In exactly one month, Re'em David will celebrate his 5th birthday without his father, Elkana Bohbot, who was abducted to Gaza on October 7. After more than a year and a half of agonizing waiting, Rivka, his wife, has decided for the first time to publicly involve their son in the campaign to bring the hostages home. Recently, three videos showing signs of life from Elkana were released, with the latest including a message to his son, asking him to "take care of Mom"—a statement that broke her heart. Despite the pain, Rivka continues to believe in goodness and is calling on the public to unite and take to the streets in a demonstration of love: "I need the unity of the entire nation to restore the hope we’ve lost."
Rivka describes her life since October 7 as a "roller coaster," saying, "One day I’m in darkness; the next, I wake up, look at my son sleeping, see his beauty, and tell myself—if not for you, where would I be? He’s the reason I wake up in the morning. It’s hard for him, and it hurts him, but when he sees me strong and smiling, it sets an example for him. He absorbs that. Despite everything, I’m thankful he’s healthy. We have a routine because there’s no other choice. I can’t stay in bed, even though it’s the easiest thing to do. Today, I can say that single mothers are heroes."
After more than a year and a half, Rivka decided to involve her son in the campaign to bring Elkana home. "I decided I want to show him to the world, for people to know him. It’s sad to call it a campaign because it’s his right to see his father, it’s my right to see my husband, and it’s our right as a family. After so much time protecting him, I thought it was necessary. To reach out to people flipping through channels, skipping the news, or switching radio stations. I’m knocking on every door, even if it’s just to open a window. My son is my purest and most important card, and I want people to look him in the eyes. My child waits for his father every day and every night.
"There are also people who simply move on, who don’t care, and I say to them—this could happen to you too. We can’t leave them there. We must do everything to bring them back, to make a real effort." Rivka hopes her son can celebrate his upcoming birthday with his father. "I hope his gift will be meeting his father, that there will be a miracle. I believe everyone will return, both the living and the fallen. That finally, there will be hope in this country, and there will be unconditional love."
Rivka recalled that last year, they didn’t celebrate Re'em’s birthday, except in kindergarten. "He got a puppy, Tofi, to bring him a little more love and joy. Ohad Ben Ami told us in one of the testimonies that Elkana managed to get a piece of chocolate and saved it for weeks until Re'em’s birthday on June 7. That’s how he celebrated for him, in Hamas tunnels. He said, ‘I hope they celebrated a fun and happy birthday for him, God forbid if they didn’t do anything for him.’ So this year, despite the difficulty, we’ll throw a big, beautiful birthday party for him, with all his friends—maybe water inflatables, like he wants."
Rivka addressed the three recently released videos showing signs of life from Elkana for the first time, saying, "It was hard for us, and hard for the entire nation. Of course, I didn’t show them to Re'em, but I wanted to so badly. To tell him, ‘Dad is alive, there’s a video, and he sent you a message.’ I only told him that Dad is alive, that he’s holding on, that he’s a hero.
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"The third video was the hardest, where Elkana spoke directly to the child. He told him, ‘You must have dressed so nicely for the holiday; Grandpa and Grandma are proud of you. Take care of Mom, you’re the man of the house.’ That last sentence felt like a kind of farewell, and I broke down. I really hope they told him to say that and that it didn’t come from his heart because Re'em shouldn’t have to worry about me—I’m the one who should worry about him. He’s the man, but I’m the mom, and I need to take care of my son. Hearing his father ask him to look after me was the hardest part. It broke me.
"But then, Elkana spoke to me, said he sees me in his dreams. Hearing that from him—it’s wow. I’m grateful they gave me a sign of life, that I at least see him whole. Frustrated, in a dangerous mental state, but whole. Professionals who watched the videos identified his emotional state, and I’m scared of that, but I also know that in the end, love heals everything. There will be a long recovery process—I think about that too—but I’m ready and promise to be strong. I’ll accept it with great love. I just want him to come home. I also want to feel joy, like the families who got their loved ones back in the last deal.
"I’m calling on citizens, maybe even more than on the government—I need the unity of the entire nation. I want people to take to the streets, to demonstrate for peace and love. I need hope to be restored. Right now, it’s gone."