Eric Hazan elatedly accepted mazal tovs from dozens of people at Montreal’s weekly Bring Them Home rally on Feb. 23, one day after the release of his 22-year-old cousin as part of phase one of the hostage release and ceasefire deal.
Omer Shem Tov was freed after 505 days, in tandem with hostages Hisham al-Sayed, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham.
“I knew they were going to be released on Shabbat” he told The CJN, “and I just didn’t know what time it was going to happen.”
He was up north at a chalet with friends when he got the message early in the morning from his aunt Jacqueline, Omer’s grandmother: “Omer is released. Omer is home.”
“My God, it was amazing” he said, smiling. “This is what I’ve been waiting for, for 500 days.”
Omer is home. 🇮🇱🎗️pic.twitter.com/icPuNqURwX
— AIPAC 🇺🇸🇮🇱🎗️ (@AIPAC) February 22, 2025
Shem Tov was kidnapped while he was at the Nova music festival. His mother Shelly said that the vast majority of his time he was kept alone in dark tunnels.
The days and hours before the release were wrought with anxiety, Hazan said. “I always suspected that something terrible was going to happen with Hamas. We saw what they did with Shiri Bibas, they sent us a sack of bones, not even any of the hostages. So with them, I knew anything was possible. You watch the charades, the way they release the hostages, who play along so they can leave. But thankfully, they’re home now. He’s with his family.”
Shelly Shem Tov, mother of released hostage Omer Shem Tov:
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) February 23, 2025
“Omer, our sun, came home after 450 days of being held alone in a tunnel under harsh conditions that included periods of starvation and psychological abuse; he shared that all he dreamed of upon returning was to rest… pic.twitter.com/jeRVRN8E8i
Omer is the son of his cousins Malki and Shelly Shem Tov, and he’s been messaging them all weekend. “We’re a very large family, like hundreds of people, between aunts and uncles, first cousins, second cousins, and now third generations. So we’re very large and we have our WhatsApp chat groups, that’s how we keep each other updated.
This weekend, the family has “been inundated left, right and centre from everybody around the world” he said. “They spent all their time bringing awareness for their son, Omer and for the other hostages. I’m just so happy for them, and I can’t wait for the other families to feel the same joy.”
#Montrealers march fof #Israeli #hostages 🇨🇦🇮🇱 One of the participants Eric Hazan is the second cousin of hostage Omer Shem Tov, who turned 21 during his captivity. #prayforpeace #bringthemhome #releasethehostages #israel #montreal #stopantisemitism pic.twitter.com/oYtEJZILu7
— The Suburban (@TheSuburbanNews) February 6, 2024
Hazan delivered a special message from Omer’s grandmother to the Montreal group. “Thank you for all the prayers and Sunday marches. We have to continue for all the hostages. Shabbat Shalom.”
It was a simple yet moving message. “Yes,” he said, “she’s the grandmother of a hostage!”
But it’s bittersweet, “because there are still hostages, and let’s never forget 1,200 people that were killed. There were babies that were killed.” While the world has recoiled anew in horror over the treatment of the Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir, “there’s so many other babies the same age that were massacred” he said. “I think about them. I think about the families that have been ripped apart, and it will never be the same for them. It’s never going to be the same for any of us.”
It’s been a very traumatic time Hazan told the group of marchers on Sunday. “Our Omer was ripped away from Shelly, Malki, his sister and brother Dana and Amit, and his grandmother Jacqueline. All of you have marched every Sunday so we so we can show the families that they are not alone as they suffer while their loved ones are being held hostage.
“I specifically wanted to thank you guys here in Montreal and all the Jewish organizations. I cannot thank enough, the people who started up Bring Them Home Montreal. Your love and devotion have been outstanding.
“We are not done, we have almost 65 hostages left, and we need to keep coming back. I will be here, and we will continue until all hostages are returned.”
