‘No logic to madness’ of Eden Zechariah’s death

Last Sunday, Orin Gantz spoke about how she longed for her daughter, Eden Zechariah to come back home.

On Friday, she buried her.

Instead of celebrating Zechariah’s 29th birthday that day, Gantz said a final goodbye to her best friend.

The IDF notified the family that they found her body in Gaza – some 60 days after she was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.

“A person isn’t meant to be a hostage, ever,” Gantz said resolutely during our conversation that took place two days before she was told the devastating news. 

“This is not acceptable. There is no place in the world where it would be acceptable for an innocent civilian to suddenly have infiltrators come into their country, who take and abuse this person just because they can.

“They terrorized and murdered people – stam,” she said, using the Hebrew word that loosely translates to “for nothing.”

“There’s no logic to their madness. Every child, every civilian, needs to be at home and not in captivity.”

Ever since October 7, Gantz’s life has transformed into a surreal nightmare of meetings with other hostage families, attempting to understand what happened to her daughter and fighting to bring her back home.

“We woke up to the sirens like everyone else. I had just come back from a vacation in Vienna,” Gantz said, remembering that horrific day. “I asked Eden where she was. She said she was in Ofakim and on her way home.”

Gantz had no idea that her daughter was at the Supernova party, because she wasn’t originally planning to attend. It was a last-minute decision after her friends convinced her and her boyfriend to join them at the dance party.

“Mom, everything is fine. Don’t worry, we’re coming home,” Zechariah told Gantz before accepting a call from her father.

When she spoke to her father, her tone changed dramatically as she started to hear gunshots.

“Take care of my dogs” were the last words her parents heard from their daughter before she was kidnapped.

Those five words were very much symbolic of Zechariah, an ardent animal lover who dreamed of one day opening a hostel for dogs. Even as a young girl, she would collect stray dogs and cats and bring them home until they could find a more permanent arrangement for the animals.

“I understand why she loved dogs,” her bereaved mother said with a faraway stare. “They’re pure, and when they love, they love fully. People call Hamas animals. I wish they were animals. Animals don’t know how to inflict pain like these monsters have.”

SINCE THAT horrific day, Gantz has not been living fully. Not working, not cooking, not doing anything that could possibly give her joy, as thoughts of her daughter have been all-consuming.

“I don’t do anything that’s considered routine,” she said stoically, during the interview before knowing about her daughter’s death. “I’m focused on this one mission of bringing Eden home.”

While Gantz is grateful for the community of hostage families, she acknowledges that among the 138 families represented, there are different opinions.

“Our opinions are not uniform, but we are unified – unified in the goal to bring our loved ones home,” she said.

It’s particularly challenging, she added, because Israel is dealing with the irrational foe that is Hamas.

“This is not a conflict about land. If you want land, you conquer it; you don’t go in and senselessly brutalize its people,” she said. “You certainly don’t enjoy it.”

“Eden loved Hanukkah. She was a person of light,” her mother said. “She smiled all the time. Saw the good in every person.”

BEFORE OCTOBER 7, Zechariah had much to look forward to. She moved in with her boyfriend and planned to study digital marketing, and her mother suspected that an engagement was on the horizon.

Instead, a bright flame was extinguished and the potential for a promising, fulfilling life came to a tragic end during her favorite holiday.

Gantz understands that two months on, many Israelis have resumed their lives – what other choice do they have? But she and the family members of the other hostages refuse to let the country forget about those who have been left behind.

“When someone gets taken into Gaza, as my daughter did, it doesn’t just affect the family. There are friends, co-workers, and dozens of other people who are distraught because we don’t know what their fate will be,” she said. 

“I think that we’re a nation that wants everyone home for the simple reason that terrorists don’t discriminate; they hate all of us,” she lamented. “And they made their mission clear: that children, the elderly, and the disabled are all targets. They murdered Arabs, too. None of us are safe in this country. It can happen to any of us. And that’s why we have a nation behind the hostages.”

There isn’t much that makes Gantz smile these days, but she is taking comfort in the memories of her daughter.

“Every memory I have of my daughter is pure and sweet. We were best friends. We had long, meaningful talks about spirituality. We connected on another level,” she said. “Over a warm cup of coffee, we would have long talks late into the night. 

"We had days of fun that seemed to last forever. I’ll miss every moment.”