Most of us have never met Emily Damari but, during the 471 days of her captivity in Gaza, we adopted her as our own.
We cried with her brave mother Mandy at rallies, we plastered the streets of Britain with her poster and we prayed for her return, our hopes rising and falling with each headline about a possible hostage deal.
So when Spurs fans adapted the club’s traditional chant to ‘she’s one of our own’ to amplify calls for the return of their fellow supporter, it seemed especially fitting. So much so that, on occasions, fans from arch rivals Arsenal tore apart football protocol to join the campaign.
This weekend the British-Israeli will return to her beloved Tottenham on a similar journey she and her family must have feared would not happen again.
It will be a visit unlike any of her previous trips though: greeting her outside the stadium at around 12pm before Spurs kick-off against Crystal Palace will be hundreds of well-wishers for what organisers Stop the Hate promise will be a ‘heroes welcome’.
Last week, Emily thanked British Jews for their months of campaigning – and support for Mandy – during her 15 months in the hands of Hamas.
This Sunday we’ll get our chance to welcome her back to the UK and to thank her for providing many moments of inspiration since her release. Despite the pain from being shot when she was snatched, for which she underwent surgery, the indomitable spirit and love of life about which Mandy never tired of speaking captures the true essence of Israel.
We all pray that the remaining hostages will soon have their freedom too.
- Justin Cohen, co-publisher, Jewish News
