Hostage mother Ditza Or, accompanied by Board of Deputies Past President Marie van der Zyl, has travelled to Edinburgh to meet with a group of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.
Ditza and Marie met the cross-party group for Building Bridges with Israel. At the meeting, MSPs heard directly from Ditza and the story of the abduction of her son, Avinatan, on 7th October.
Following the meeting, Ditza and Marie met a larger group of MSPs outside Parliament including Minister for Parliamentary Business Jamie Hepburn, who attended the vigil with Ditza, Marie and the local Jewish community.
Marie and Ditza also spoke at Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation about Ditza’s story and the work the Board of Deputies has been doing in the UK to publicise the stories of the hostages. The synagogue have “adopted” Avinatan as part of the Board of Deputies’ Adopt a Hostage campaign.
Following the visit, Ditza said: “The support and light that radiates from the Edinburgh community I met gives me so much hope. It reassures me that we are not alone and that Avinatan is not forgotten. I truly appreciate it and am full of gratitude. There is a long fight to be fought but I believe in miracles and I invite all my wonderful new friends to celebrate with us when Avinatan returns.”
Marie van der Zyl said: “I have so much respect for the courage Ditza has shown. It is heartbreaking to hear her speak about her son Avinatan, who has been captive in Gaza for more than a year. However, the response has been wonderful and she has done so much to publicise the plight of the hostages.”