Granddaughter of hostage Gadi Moses says she came to NY to ‘shout’ she needs grandfather back home
This is not how Shani Moses imagined her first trip to New York City.
The 19-year-old Israeli flew to the US with her father, Yair Moses, to bring awareness to her grandfather Gadi Moses who remains captive in Gaza.
Shani’s grandmother Margalit Moses was kidnapped and released on November 24. Gadi’s partner, Efrat Katz, was found dead.
Shani’s grandparents lived in Nir Oz, the kibbutz that she said filled her childhood.
Yair spoke Friday morning at the 100 Days of Captivity demonstration at Dag Hammarsjold Plaza near the United Nations Headquarters, while Shani stood holding a poster of her grandfather.
Shani said she feels like her family has a lot to show the world.
“I’m not loving the idea of me coming to New York for the first time because my grandfather is missing. But it makes this experience different,” Shani said. “I came all this way, 12 hour flight, to come here and shout that I need my grandfather back home now.”
“When my dad and I talk, I cry, because it’s a really hard time for us. All I do is just think about my grandfather and worry about him, when today it’s 100 days and it feels like forever, and I don’t know how he feels,” Shani said. “My hope is he’s staying strong, I know my grandfather is a really strong person.”
Shani knows her grandfather is strong, because she said he’s 79-years-old but acts like a 7-year-old boy. Shani said he’ll climb to the top of a tree to give her an orange that’s stuck up there.
“He’s a grandfather for 10 grandchildren, yes, but he’s like a little brother,” Shani said.
Shani said she admires her grandfather because she can laugh with him and talk about anything, but she also learns from him.
“He knows everything,” Shani said.
As the second-oldest of her 10 cousins, Shani said feels a responsibility to protect her younger family members from the reality of the situation.
The oldest of the cousins is also 19, Shani said, and together they talk about everything.
“Two weeks, there was a video of my grandfather that got released. And we really talked about it, and we saw that it was our grandfather that he doesn’t look the same as he looked like,” Shani said.
“I have cousins that are five years old and it feels like they don’t fully understand the situation,” she said. “When I talk to my little brother, I am making the situation softer.”
“The reality is not that good. You really try to have hope and to believe that they’ll come back soon, but you understand that the situation is really complicated,” Shani said. “I don’t want to show my little brother that.”
Shani’s 13-year-old brother’s birthday is October 10, and he’s supposed to become a Bar Mitzvah.
“But he said, ‘no, I’m not doing it without my grandma and grandpa.'”
Her grandmother was one of the lucky few to be released, and part of the unlucky many to be kidnapped
While Margalit has returned home, Shani said she only feels half full.
“It was amazing, it was a big relief. You feel like half is full, but not full,” Shani said. “She got released after 49 days. And she got smaller and a little bit sick, but she’s all right now and all the family is with her all the time.”
“This is what I do now,” she said. “When I worry about my grandfather, I’m with my grandmother.”
Shani said none of the family members protesting for the hostages’ return asked to be in that situation.
“I hope that every other teenager that is my age will understand this situation and might do it as well, even if it’s not his own grandfather,” Shani said.
When Shani thinks about experiencing normalcy with her grandfather again, drinking wine is what she said comes to mind.
“My grandfather really loves drinking wine, he’s making wine actually. And all I want is him coming back, and him and I sitting and talking about life and drinking a glass of scotch or wine,” Shani said.
“Every time before, my grandfather always asked me to take a sip, and I’m like ‘no thank you, I don’t want’ but now this is all I want,” Shani said. “Sit with him and drink wine or scotch even though I think it’s disgusting. Just do it with him.”
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