On February 1, 2026, I had the privilege of joining the soon-to-be newlyweds, Sapir Cohen and Sasha Troufanov, as they publicly shared their story.
The couple was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre while they were visiting the Troufanov family. The world watched their story unfold as Sapir was released from captivity and continued to advocate for her boyfriend and the other hostages.
While much has been shared about the couple’s unfathomable ordeal, I was moved to tears by their united feeling of gratitude toward the Jewish people across the world.Sapir shared that what helped her during the dark days of Sasha’s captivity was the overwhelming support of the Jewish community.“It brought me tremendous comfort knowing that Sasha and the other hostages were not forgotten.”
Jewish people across the globe identified with the hostages as members of their own family. Women lit Shabbat candles, baked challah, and organized Tehillim readings.People mentioned their names in daily prayers, hung up posters, and did mitzvahs in the merit of the hostages’ release. Sapir found support and comfort in this shared responsibility. This unity created a bond between the hostages and those outside advocating for them.
On February 15, 2025, after 498 days in Gaza, when Sasha Troufanov was released, terrorists repeatedly told him that Jewish people no longer cared about the hostages. They wanted Sasha to give up hope and feel forgotten. When he was released from captivity and returned home to Israel, he said, “I was so grateful to know that the Jewish people were united in advocating for our release.”
Sasha’s mother, Elena, attributes her son’s survival to the prayers of people throughout the world. Sasha reflected on his journey: “Sometimes God puts us through challenges that we don’t necessarily understand. I had all the reasons to feel unfortunate. I was shot in my legs, kidnapped, deprived of medical care, starved, and isolated. I was starting to lose hope, to lose strength and resilience. I started to reflect on my life, my past, my family, and my friends. My love for them helped me find faith.”
Sasha felt that while he couldn’t physically help his family and Sapir, he could send positive thoughts to those he loved. Born in the former Soviet Union, Sasha was not taught how to pray, yet he recalls, “Deep inside of me, I knew I could focus on good things for the people I care about. This was my prayer, as I instinctively tapped deep inside my soul and visualized sending goodness toward my mother, Sapir, my father, my friends, and all Jewish people.”
Throughout the months of his captivity, Sasha did this systematically.
“I would sit quietly, focusing and thinking about my loved ones, thinking about God, asking for a way to see positivity in this place, helping me find a purpose and a way to appreciate every single day despite the circumstances. Eventually, I started seeing things in a different way. Even in a cage, isolated, I was grateful for a chance to reflect, to have more time to learn about my soul. Finding faith and positivity was the very, very big thing that happened to me.”
While in captivity, Sapir made a decision to encourage the other hostages and be a beacon of hope. When Sapir returned home, she questioned her newfound identity and yearned to find meaning and purpose among the Jewish people.
“I remember asking myself what my biggest value was. Instantly, the word that came to my mind was ‘unity.’” Sapir shared, “When I returned, I wanted to be alone in my room, close the door, and cry. I didn’t know how I could help or what I could do for others.” Sapir visited Jewish communities throughout the world and spoke about Israel and what happened on October 7. She wanted the Jewish people of all different backgrounds to identify with the pain of the hostages and those whose lives were forever changed.
“One day I had a dream. I was in a gym with a backpack on my back as I did squats. One of the trainers came to me and said he wanted to train with that bag. He tried to take it off me but couldn’t, and he called other trainers. Together they tried to get this bag off, but they couldn’t manage. They asked me what was inside. I told them that this bag was filled with all my lifetime experiences, and only I was meant to carry it. When I woke up, I was forever changed by this dream, as I realized that every one of us carries our own unique bag. We cannot switch bags, but we can help each other carry our burdens and share the heaviness of each other’s challenges. From the moment I came back from captivity to Israel, I met Jewish people from all over the world, and they helped us carry our big bags. We want to say thank you for sharing our burden.”
In turn, on behalf of Jewish people around the world, we want to wish Sapir and Sasha a big mazel tov on their upcoming wedding. May their family be blessed with healing, peace, clarity, and faith. May they live an incredibly long, healthy, and happy life together, reaching old age surrounded by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And may they always feel loved.