‘Powerless, halfway across the world’: Sacramento man calls for release of family kidnapped by Hamas
Ryan Pessah’s nightmare began on a Saturday morning with a text message from his mom: “Yair and his family are missing.”
Pessah immediately feared the worst for his cousin and family who lived in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel two miles from Gaza. Just hours earlier, Pessah’s wife alerted him that Israel had been suddenly attacked. That day, nobody could reach Yair Yaakov, his girlfriend Meirav Tal or his two sons.
The family’s fears were confirmed the following day. Pessah’s mother, who is Yaakov’s aunt, texted him a video sent to the family by an unknown number.
It started by showing the inside of Yaakov’s home filled with smoke and cuts to Tal, who is pleading with a masked man that pulls her away. Her body and clothing were covered in dust likely from a grenade blast. The video panned to Yaakov, who is sitting on the floor appearing disorientated. He was at gunpoint.
“The moment I saw Yair’s face, I was instantly in tears, shaking,” Pessah said.
It’s been more than two weeks since Pessah first saw the Oct. 7 video which has now been shared widely on social media.
Yaakov, Tal and the two boys are still missing. They are believed to be among the estimated 200 Israelis, many of them civilians, taken hostage by the militant group Hamas.
Another 1,400 people died from the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which is both a political faction and a military organization in Palestinian-controlled areas. In response, Israel has launched an ongoing barrage of airstrikes leading to the death of more than 6,500 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ongoing conflict leaves Pessah and other affected families with an unbearable anguish.
“Feeling powerless, halfway across the world is not an easy feeling,” Pessah said.
Yaakov’s family puts together a timeline of events
It’s been almost 15 years since Pessah visited Israel and saw his cousin Yaakov, a slender man who seemingly always had a “big, bright smile.” On his trips back to his mother’s homeland, Pessah said the two would often pass the time by enjoying Israel’s nightlife.
“He really embodies living life to the fullest,” Pessah, 35, said.
Yaakov’s smile was replaced with fear and shock in the video sent to the family.
Prior to being abducted, Yaakov and his girlfriend were hiding in their home bomb shelter when Hamas militants allegedly used a grenade to open the door, Pessah said.
Nearby in Nir Oz, Yaakov’s daughter and her boyfriend hid in another home shelter. But the grenade attempting to open their door jammed. They were found and freed days later.
“It was a miracle the door got stuck,” Pessah said.
The same could not be said for Yaakov’s sons, who are 16 and 12.
The two boys were also in Nir Oz, one of more than 20 towns and villages in southern Israel attacked on Oct. 7. They were staying at their mother’s home, though she was not there during the ambush, Pessah said.
In the last communication with their mother, Pessah said the boys pleaded with Hamas.
“The last few sentences their mom heard her boys say was ‘Please don’t take me, please don’t take me I’m too young to go,’” Pessah said.
There’s been no further communication of the boys, Yaakov or Tal.
Remaining hopeful while calling for action
Even in Sacramento, Pessah has become one of the loudest voices to free his family and all the hostages.
He has conducted several media interviews and reached out to state legislators, including one who connected him to an Israeli hotline for families seeking updates. Earlier this month, Pessah spoke at a Capitol rally calling for the immediate release of all the hostages.
He’s also increased communications among his family, which spans 40 cousins on his mom’s side. Thirty-seven of those live in Israel. The cousins have been using their Whatsapp group more often than usual to support each other, with Pessah sending videos to “at least attempt to put a smile on their faces.”
Pessah said he still feels scared and helpless. But he can only remain positive during this time.
“We have to stay positive,” Pessah said. “I want to fly over to Israel and be there for his young son’s Bar Mitzvah. I want to be there and give him a hug and give him a kiss. I just want to see him again.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 5:19 PM.
