https://www.hidabroot.org/article/1190928
Efrat and her husband Tzvika Mor raised their children according to Torah Judaism in the Biblical city of Kiryat Arba.
Eitan is their oldest son and while he ended up renting an apartment away from home when he grew up, he and his family always maintained a warm connection with each other.
Everyone loves him very much and it's easy to see why, when looking at the photos of him with his siblings as Efrat describes how he excelled at honoring his parents.
For example, whenever he came home to visit, he insisted his mother take a break while he straightened up the home, cooked, and cleaned.
He's an excellent cook.
And Eitan is also a warm, caring person.
And the day before Shabbat/Simchat Torah, his parents spoke to him shortly before candle-lighting, everyone exchanging Shabbat and holiday greetings. Eitan reassured them he'd already cooked up his festive meals.
What the Mors didn't know was Eitan was serving as a security guard (along with his childhood buddy, Elyakim Shlomo Leibman) for the Nova nature party that Shabbat.
How It All Started
Speaking from his cell phone about his preparations for the chag/Shabbat, they had no idea he wasn't speaking from his apartment.
When the Horror started at the Nova party, Eitan plunged into heroic action, rescuing fellow Jews and even saving the bodies of 2 Jewish girls from desecration.
He rang a couple of family members whom he knew would answer the phone on Shabbat, but they were unable to help him or get him help.
His parents only discovered his part in the tragedy on Saturday night.
They didn't even know he'd been abducted. There simply was no trace of him.
Finally, they discovered he remained alive, but in Hamas captivity — along with his childhood friend, Elyakim Shlomo Leibman.
Later, they discovered that Eitan Avraham Mor and Elyakim Shlomo Leibman went back and forth, rescuing people for hours.
Had they remained outside of the Nova area after rescuing the first batch of survivors, they would've been free now.
But they kept going back to rescue more people. They took them out to safety, then went back in again. And again. Until the last time they entered into the jaws of terror, the terrorists caught them and took them hostage into Gaza.
The lives they saved that morning should please stand as a merit for them.
Israeli authorities maintain they receive signs that Eitan remains alive, but for security reasons, cannot detail these signs of life to the Mors.
That was around a month ago.
Elyakim Shlomo has not been seen or heard from since that initial video of him being taken captive on Simchat Torah.
"Klal Yisrael are Also My Children."
They categorically refuse to entertain any exchange of terrorists for their son.
As Efrat explains:
So that it will not be misunderstood: It is literally difficult for me that my son is in captivity.
But there is the mind and there are the emotions.
Emotionally, we all want to go to Gaza right now and take him out.
And tears are pouring endlessly for him.
But as far as I'm concerned, Klal Yisrael are also my children.
And I’m also concerned about them.
[Another] son told me, it’s like after they’ll release Eitan in a deal, a terrorist that was released in his deal will murder him or my grandson.
If Gilad Shalit's father (and the Israeli authorities) had been of the Mors' caliber, the whole Slaughter & Horror on Simchat Torah might never have happened.
Efrat continues to explain their stance:
Apart from this, it weakens us as Medinat Yisrael, when we are preoccupied with negotiations over the hostages.
All that behavior, all that groveling before a terrorist organization — it’s sad that this situation still exists.
History, halachah, and cultural observations prove the correctness of her heroic approach.
Furthermore, Eitan himself shared this attitude.
Efrat recalls a Shabbat table conversation from months ago (boldface mine):
We know that our son doesn’t think differently because a few months ago at the Shabbat table, the topic came up.
Perhaps we spoke about Gilad Shalit; I don’t remember exactly.
And then Eitan said explicitly:
“If they would kidnap me, I would not agree to be released in exchange for terrorists.”
Apparently, everyone else is pressing for another mass terrorist release.
And it's causing certain sectors to turn on the heroic and highly ethical Mor family.
In light of Betty Lahat's exposé on who was actually controlling not only the Shalit negotiations, but the demonstrations (it was Hamas), plus her insistence that Hamas currently controls the present negotiations and hostage situation, the Mors' stance proves even more heroic and bursting with integrity.
It also shows the Mors' detractors in a very disturbing light.
The Mors Do It Right
Efrat, a homebody who prefers remaining at home with her remaining little girls and avoiding any spotlight, nonetheless found herself casted into unwanted prominence for her unwavering stance against exchanging terrorist for her beloved son.
The Mors choose prayer and good deeds in the merit of their son to achieve his freedom — and the freedom of all the hostages.
Prayer and mitzvot already achieved the release of several hostages, Ori Magidish being the most well-known.
But the release of a mother and daughter came about a few days after 2 young woman decided to keep Shabbat and dedicate every mitzvah they did on Shabbat in the merit of this mother and daughter.
(One of the young women, Jessica Alter, described this with photos to prove it, in an interview with Mor Maman for women only in Hebrew: www.hidabroot.org/video/221008.)
We also know of hostages whose families did the exact opposite, which seemingly led to the strange death of the hostages as described here:
the-spiritual-physics-of-a-tinok-shenishba-still-lead-to-tragedy-despite-the-blameless-status.html
They're doing everything right.
And not only can their actions save their son, their actions will also prevent the slaughter and torment of other Jews.
So how can anyone find fault with the direction the Mors are taking?
“Your son is no longer just your son; he is the son of Klal Yisrael."
I sometimes come across things that are difficult for me to read. But I’m more at home with my little girls. It’s not so much my personality to go out and speak.
Until recently, I was totally anonymous and against my will, I’ve now become well-known.
Tzvika, my husband, is the “foreign minister” among us and therefore, he is the one who absorbs most of the accusations.
In the newspaper [Am Ha'Aretz], I read recently the accusation by the father of another hostage that my husband has abandoned our son.
It’s impossible to judge them; they didn’t grow up as my husband grew up, what with taking into consideration the entire Klal.
It’s not their fault; it’s Western culture.
Together, they founded something called the Forum of Hope, whose motto is:
"The more we wage war against Hamas, the more Hamas will be pressed against the wall to release hostages."
Tzvika Mor goes around the country speaking about this, which greatly encourages Jewish soldiers and their mothers and wives (according to all the messages the Mors received from soldiers and Jewish women — women who initially found it difficult to function in the current situation).
In the interview, Efrat emphasizes all the goodness in Am Yisrael and the support they receive from so many other sectors of Jewish society.
As one rabbi told them: “Your son is no longer just your son; he is the son of Klal Yisrael."
Efrat found a soulmate in Avishag Leibman, who also yearns for the release of her son, Elyakim Shlomo — and one of the few other mothers of a hostage who shares Efrat's approach to the painful situation:
“We share feelings, experiences, and occasionally go out together to do hafrashat challah.”
Who Manipulates the Opposition to the Mor Family?
Unexpectedly, it hit me in a similar place to that of the phone call made by a terrorist to his terrorist family while I strove to encourage my own son to uphold his humanity in an inhumane situation (the-phone-call-that-acted-as-my-personal-wake-up-call.html).
When writing about the current situation with hostages and their families, I've made every effort to be sensitive.
For example, even when writing about the alignment of one family with a church group and a very public church event based on forbidden theology, which apparently led to the deaths of their captive family member (and two others), I felt a lot of trepidation writing about it and tried to be as sensitive and non-accusatory as possible under the circumstances.
I emphasized their "blameless status" and described their families as "Families of hostages suffer feelings of terrible powerlessness and a compulsion to help their captive loved ones in any way possible" and preface their problematics actions as "Despite their innocence and the good intentions..."
And so on.
After all, I don't know who's reading this and the effect it can have.
So I want to be sensitive.
And that's regarding people who, prior to this Horrific Slaughter and Abduction, did quite a lot to destroy the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael and the society here.
Despite their destructive stances, the situation has been so horrific, I didn't want to add to the bad feelings.
So it shocked me that the hostages' families and a media rag like Am Ha'Aretz publicly gang up on the Mors, cast accusations and aspersions upon them, and do so KNOWING the Mors and the whole world will read these awful accusations.
To know one's cherished son survives in deplorable circumstances underground with ruthless barbarians — and to be globally accused of abandoning him, just because you don't want another terrorist exchange that will cause even more slaughter, and possibly another massacre on an even greater scale?
We're running in two opposite directions. I'm correct in my points, yet do my best to soften them.
At the same time, they're dead wrong in their approach and actions, yet have no compunctions about publicly slandering, hurting, and trashing such good people.
The truth is, if the elites had conducted this war according to the standards of the Mors (who recommend uncompromising battle, combined with tefillah and mitzvot), it could easily be that ALL the hostages would have been returned a while ago.
Instead, we have a worsening hostage situation and the daily murders and maimings of Jewish soldiers who don't need to be there.
I understand the Mors want to avoid in-fighting at this time.
They give the benefit of the doubt to the families of the other hostages, who lack a Torah background and find comfort in Western culture and its wrong solutions.
But my concern remains as Betty Lahat already proved during the Shalit saga:
Hamas was in control.
How much is Hamas controlling the narrative promoted in the secular Leftist media?
How much is Hamas influencing the families without them even realizing it?
After all, Hamas influenced the demonstrations and almost everything else regarding the Shalit saga. They greatly encouraged Shalit's father in his wrong direction without him ever realizing it.
And how much is the Erev Rav Wexner Foundation influencing all this?
Why all the hate on the heroic Mor family for NOT pandering to a gruesomely evil terrorist organization?
Why cast accusations against the Mor family who DOESN'T want Jewish soldiers dying and suffering needlessly and stands AGAINST a repeat of what happened near Gaza on October 7th?
(Please see this post for more on how to pray for them most effectively: the-best-way-to-pray-for-captives-hostages-and-missing-people-according-to-jewish-tradition.html.)
For a post on an interview with Ditza Tirtza Ohr, mother of hostage Avinatan, please see:
please-meet-the-heroic-ohrs-family-of-hostage-avinatan-ohr.html