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PARK CITY — The Chabad of Park City is presenting a "once-in-a-lifetime" evening on Wednesday, as the mother of Ori Danino, a hostage in the Israeli-Hamas war since Oct. 7, 2023, is sharing her story.
The event's webpage said the event will be an opportunity to show respect and solidarity with hostage families.
Rabbi Chaim Zippel, with the Chabad of Utah County, said Ori Danino had received a call telling him to leave the festival and left with some of his friends, but then remembered a few people he had met the night before and turned his car around to go back and get them.
After he got them, his car was shot at, and all three individuals were taken hostage.
"She's coming out specifically for this from Israel," Rabbi Zippel said.
He said she shares her story for "very pure reasons." She wakes up daily with the hope that her son will come home and shares that hope with others.
The event, which will be held at The Pendry at 7:30 p.m. is being put on by the Chabad of Park City and Rabbi Yudi Steiger, but Rabbi Chaim Zippel with the Chabad of Utah County, said they are partnering with Jewish congregations across the state to put on the event.
He said this event is not just a big deal for the Jewish community but for everybody in Utah. They want people of other faiths to come as well and expect a sold-out crowd.
"For our community, it's huge because honestly, there are people on both sides of the aisle on this political issue ... but what should be, as humanity, is that we can all support that people should be home with their families and not being tortured," Rabbi Zippel said.
He said the words of hope will accompany inspiring and uplifting songs from a well-known Jewish singer, Shalom Lemmer. There will be classical Jewish songs, songs of prayer and songs of gratitude — in Yiddish, English and Hebrew.
"It's going to be such a moving evening," Rabbi Zippel said.
"We're going to be there sitting together as one community, as one unit, to gain courage and gain ... inspiration and hope from each other," he said.
He said this is the first time a family member of a hostage in the current Israeli-Hamas conflict has come to Utah.
Einav Danino has shared publicly her experience of going to her son's car, where he was taken hostage. When she got there, she recited a Psalm about gratitude and explained to those there she was grateful he was taken hostage instead of murdered in the cars.
Rabbi Zippel explained that in Judaism for a proper burial, every drop of blood needs to be collected and that for some of the victims who had been at the festival with Ori Danino to receive a proper burial, allowing their bodies to rest, the car needed to be buried as well. He said this was an "absolute atrocity."
