Thousands of Israelis responded to a call yesterday by the mother of Alon Ohel, a gifted pianist who has been held by Hamas in Gaza for over two years and is expected to be released soon in the hostage deal, asking them to play a piano melody in his honor.
This morning, social media accounts run by Idit Ohel, Alon’s mother, and other family members were flooded with thousands of videos of Israelis of all ages playing the piano in Alon’s honor.
At the piano in Hostages Square, in public pianos all over Israel, and in their own homes, musicians of all ages played and filmed themselves, creating a nationwide concert in honor of Alon’s return.
Top Israeli musicians joined the initiative
Top Israeli musicians Dana Berger and Ivri Lider also took part in the initiative. Lider pointed to a piano on stage at a concert and said it would remain there until Alon could come and play it himself.
“Thank you to the entire people of Israel, who love and embrace us. We love the people of Israel — there’s no nation like this in the world. Now is the time to play the sounds of hope for Alon and for all the hostages — let’s have a concert all across Israel in honor of his return,” the family posted on its Instagram account, bring.alon.home, along with thousands of the clips.
“Alon is my private son, but against his will, he has become a son to every Israeli family. We are moved and waiting for his return. Thank you all — you are our strength and energy to continue the journey to bring Alon home soon,” said Idit Ohel.
There has been grave concern about Alon’s condition for months, which intensified after Hamas published a video of him in September, just before the Rosh Hashanah holiday, in which his family said they could detect a problem with one of his eyes. They said that they feared he had lost vision in that eye.
“On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, in these days of repentance, the fate of the lives of young Jews, Israeli citizens, is in the hands of the prime minister and the cabinet. Don’t break the nation of Israel’s heart,” the family said in a statement.
Alon has German and Serbian citizenship, in addition to being an Israeli citizen, and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić condemned Hamas for holding him captive.
Merz wrote on X: “The dehumanizing footage of the German-Israeli national Alon Ohel, which Hamas published of all times on Rosh Hashanah, is unbearable. Hamas must immediately release all hostages. The ceasefire must come now, the suffering must end.”
Đurić wrote that Serbia “stands in sorrow… The video released today is a cruel blow to his parents, Idit and Kobi, and to all who long for his return.”
Perhaps soon, Israelis, Germans, and Serbs can play songs of joy in honor of Alon’s return.