TAMPA, Fla. — Mirit Castro is an artist and an Israeli-American currently living in Florida. While she is here in America, she constantly thinks about her five immediate family members who are in the IDF – Israel Defense Forces.
“You know my family members are okay. It was very hard the first few days because they have safe rooms – each person there has a safe room that they go to every time there is a siren. They go and stay in the safe room, so it’s not easy to live under those conditions for the last couple of weeks,” said Castro.
Castro also connected us with Yakov Argamani – in Israel. Castro is friends with Argamani’s family member who currently lives in the U.S. He told us he has not seen or heard from his daughter Noa since right before the music festival in Israel that Hamas Militants attacked. He spoke to us in Hebrew, so Castro translated.
“He said it’s a lot of suspense, and the missing and the longing for his daughter tears him apart,” said Argamani through Castro.
Argamani said he recognized his daughter in a video that seems to show her being forced onto a motorbike by militants near the festival site. The father spoke about the last time he saw his daughter.
“They were celebrating [sorry this one is hard]. They were celebrating Sukkot the day before, which is a religious holiday. Her and her boyfriend were there, and they asked them if they can borrow the car to go to a festival – a music festival and he said of course,” said Argamani through Castro.
He then described his daughter, saying she is 26 years old and his only daughter. He said she is special and unique beyond words.
“She’s known as somebody who is peaceful, sweet, beautiful, loving, and from the moment her held her – this is his only child and his treasure,” said Argamani through Castro.
As the war between Hamas and Israel rages on, families and friends of people like Noa Argamani are left in limbo, just hoping they come home.
