ATLANTA — As family members who have relatives kidnapped by Hamas gathered at the Georgia State Capitol about the urgent need to bring hostages back to safety, one woman got the news that the terrorists had released a video of her cousin.
When Shani Segal came back into her room after looking at the video, the first thing she exclaimed was that her cousin, 36-year-old Rimon Kirsht, was alive.
"Hamas released a video where you see my cousin sitting," she said. "She's alive. She's skinny... and she’s scared. You see her looking (to the sides) and I don’t know if someone is pointing a gun at her. I don’t know what’s the situation."
The families explained that while the circumstances are horrific, the video is "good news" because she received a sign of life.
Or Sella hopes he gets a sign of life from his family members, too. Sella said his 12 family members were kidnapped, and three of them were already murdered.
"Two of our family members that were murdered had to be identified by their DNA because they burned not only the bodies, but families inside their own home," Sella said.
Each family held photographs of their loved ones and told the stories of their relatives. One of the photos was of a 3-year-old girl, Yahel Gani Shoham, who is still presumed kidnapped.
Segal spoke about how her whole family, who has lived in the southern part of Israel for over five decades, was used to hearing rockets. Except this time, she did not expect it to get to this point.
"We don’t sleep. We don’t eat. I sleep with a knife underneath my pillow because I’m scared the terrorists will go into my home," she said. "Terror should lose. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Muslim, a Christian. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. Terror should not win. We do not negotiate with terrorists. The Palestinians should be released from the captivity of Hamas as well. They are holding 2.3 million people hostage, not only our 240."
Each family member who spoke at the Capitol wants the world to see the photographs with the hopes that Hamas would release them.
"It's really weird that we have to feel lucky when we know someone was taken hostage without any human conditions," Sella said. "This is the reality we live in right now."
Sandy Feldman relates to that reality. She says she has not heard from her sister or brother, who are in their 60s and have had no sign of life. Feldman, who lives in Israel, says there was no blood at their home, so she is hopeful that they are still alive.
"I have no words," she said. "We were shocked. It's a hopeless situation. We're dealing with the unknown and they're playing all these psychological games. It's horrifying. (I hope people) condemn it and say there's no place for evil."
Georgia lawmakers and the Israeli Consul General are also pushing for change. Georgia’s only Jewish state lawmaker, Esther Panitch, is calling on Governor Brian Kemp to reintroduce House Bill 30, which would create a state definition for antisemitism, and, in turn, could help prosecute hate crimes.
"For those who voted 'no' last time or tried to block it but say you’re against anti-Semitism, I haven’t heard from any of you. Don’t tell me you hate antisemitism when the Jewish world is burning," she said.
Panitch wants the bill to be read during the special session that begins in December.
Until then, families hang on to videos for hope, and the pictures for change.
"I want you to try and imagine not knowing for three weeks and two days if your family member is alive or not," Segal added. "I want you to think about if the last text you send your loved one is, 'They're shooting at me.'"