Maya Romann's cousin Yarden was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with her husband and three-year-old daughter. While the father and child managed to escape on their way to the Gaza Strip, Yarden's fate remains uncertain. Christians Standing with Israel spoke with Maya Romann about October 7th and its aftermath. The questions were posed by Dana Nowak.
Dana Nowak: Ms. Romann, your cousin Yarden was abducted by Hamas terrorists. Can you tell us how this happened?
Maya Romann: On October 7th, Yarden was visiting her in-laws in Kibbutz Be'eri with her husband Alon and their daughter Geffen. She and her family had lived there for four years, but had recently moved away due to the precarious security situation on the Gaza border. They were visiting for the holidays. On Saturday, the alarm sounded, and they hid in the bunker. But the terrorists broke into the house. They abducted Alon's mother, Kinneret, and his sister, Carmel. Later, we learned that Kinneret had been murdered. We saw it on social media. Carmel was kidnapped. Alon's father managed to hide in the bathroom. He told us what had happened.
Four terrorists had dragged Alon, Yarden, and their three-year-old daughter Geffen into a car and driven toward the Gaza Strip. Just before the border, Alon and Yarden saw an opportunity to escape. They jumped out of the car and started running. Yarden carried Geffen in her arms, and the terrorists began shooting at them and chasing them. Yarden handed Geffen to Alon so he could run faster and rescue them. And that's exactly what he did. He hid for about twelve hours in a forest, in a small hole he covered with brushwood. When it got dark, he made his way back to the kibbutz, even though there were still many terrorists in the area. But he managed to find the Israeli troops and call us. Yarden was last seen hiding behind a tree from the bullets. Her brother Gili immediately went back to the field to look for her. For the first week, he went out again and again, and we searched for her with the security forces. They eventually concluded that Yarden had been abducted again. And now we believe she is in Gaza.
Have you received any sign of life from Yarden since then? Do you know if she is injured?
No, we don't know anything. That's one of the things we ask for when we talk to politicians: we ask that the Red Cross be allowed access to the hostages so we can find out if Yarden is okay, if she's alive or not. It's a truly awful situation. We first arrived in Berlin at the end of October. We met Ricarda Louk, Shani's mother. She also campaigned for her daughter and worked so hard. And when we came to Berlin now, we learned that Shani Louk had indeed been murdered and had been dead all along. It's just so cruel that people are in this state of uncertainty. They do everything for the people they love and don't know if they might be alive…
How is Geffen? As a three-year-old, she had to experience and witness terrible things, lost loved ones like her grandmother, and now misses her mother.
Geffen is incredible. She has a very strong bond with her father. I don't know what he told her. But she's able to talk about what happened. And she's trying to figure out if all of this is normal. She's keeping us all together. But of course, we're very worried about the long-term effects of what she's been through. You can imagine how it affects a three-year-old when her mother just disappears. She knows her mother is gone. And I think it helps her to see that everyone is still looking for her.
She and her family, along with relatives of other hostages, are campaigning for the release of the kidnapped people. What have you done so far?
My family and I decided to focus on international pressure, primarily on Germany and the United States, since we are also German citizens. We've already been to Germany twice with relatives of hostages. We know of 21 hostages who hold German citizenship. In Germany, we met with, among others, Chancellor Scholz, Foreign Minister Baerbock, and the leaders of all the democratic parties. Yarden's sister, Roni, spoke at a rally at the Brandenburg Gate in front of 25,000 people. It was on Yarden's birthday, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." It was very, very moving. We also attended the Kristallnacht commemoration in Germany. We gave many media interviews and also spoke with Vice Chancellor Habeck.
What impression did you get from the meetings with German politicians?
My impression is that the United States and Israel are currently leading the negotiations. I do believe that Germany is doing something. We have the feeling that everyone is very well informed. Everyone tells us that the hostages are the first topic they discuss at their meetings. We know that they are in close contact with the Americans. We are waiting to see what happens in the next week or two. We know that a major deal is on the table, and we very much hope that it comes to fruition.
Your grandmother lived in Germany. Can you tell us something about her?
Of course. Our grandmother Lotte and our grandfather Hans both came from Germany. Lotte lived in Fürth. She was very headstrong, spoke her mind, and was outspoken against Hitler. Her teachers advised her parents that Lotte should leave Germany. But her parents didn't want to go. Her father had been awarded the Iron Cross in the First World War. He was a prominent lawyer. And he believed that because he was German, no one could force him to leave his country. So they stayed and were both murdered. Lotte left Germany at the age of 17, the day after Kristallnacht. When she arrived in Israel, there wasn't much there yet. She belonged to the founding generation of Israel. She was a staunch Zionist. She believed in education and agriculture.
What I find so beautiful about her is that she truly believed in reconciliation. There were many Jews who came from Germany and wanted nothing more to do with it. But for our grandmother, there were good things in Germany; she wanted to foster reconciliation and build bridges. Very early on, she founded a foundation that brought together German and Israeli scientists to advance agriculture. That was in the 60s and 70s, when cooperation between Israel and Germany was just beginning. And she was a representative at the UN. I loved her very much. She died when we were in high school. That was about 20 years ago. My grandfather came from Heidelberg. He was also a lawyer. He left when they didn't promote him because he was Jewish. He kept the letter his whole life, the one that said he couldn't work at the law firm because he was Jewish. Because our grandmother didn't see anything wrong with Germany, we all applied for and kept our German citizenship.
Thank you for telling us about your grandmother. She must have been an amazing woman. After everything she went through, she was ready to forgive and build bridges.
Yes, it's very moving. She was an amazing woman. I suddenly feel so close to her in everything because we were in Germany. I never would have thought that our German citizenship would one day be so important. We are German citizens, but we all live in Israel. And now I feel this connection for the first time. When we came to Germany and the government truly treated us like citizens and took us seriously, and then being there for the commemoration of Kristallnacht, that was very moving. I keep thinking about my grandmother and what she would say about everything that's happening right now.
As Christians who stand with Israel, we stand with the Jewish state, with the Jewish people, with you. What can we as Christians, as individual citizens, do for the hostages?
It is important that people understand that this is a global problem, a humanitarian issue, a question of values. It is not just about Israel, and not just about the Jewish people. It is important to have people like you who say: We are Christians, and we support Israel in this matter; and we do this because our values as Christians tell us that something like this should not happen. I cannot recall anything comparable, where more than 200 women and children were simply abducted from their homes. This is a new form of terror. It can take hold anywhere if we do not resolutely oppose it, not just in Israel. People can raise their voices. They can ensure that the story of the hostages is at the top of the news. We do not want to forget this issue. When people talk about humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, we must make sure that they include the hostages and do not just talk about humanitarian aid for one side.
What gives you strength and comfort during this terrible time?
I see so many people who want to help. It's so good to see how much you care, how much the people in Germany we've met care. I get calls and messages all day from people I knew 15 years ago in the United States. And of course, from people in Israel and Germany, from my grandmother's friends I haven't spoken to in years. It gives me so much strength. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. Because that's our biggest fear: being left alone with this terrible story.
Thank you so much for the interview, and we wish you strength! We hope and pray that Yarden and the other hostages will be released soon.
Editor's Note: At the time of the interview on November 14, efforts to release the more than 230 Israeli hostages were in full swing. According to various media reports, a deal was in sight that could free approximately 70 women and children. Here's how you can support Maya Romann in her campaign for the release of Yarden and the other hostages : www.bringyardenhome.com
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 135.You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies to display and distribute.
