Former hostage Yaffa Adar said that while in Hamas captivity, she found strength by singing the music of famous Italian singer Andrea Bocelli in her head.
After hearing her story, Bocelli wrote a letter to the 85-year-old grandmother, expressing his gratitude and inviting her to a public or private concert of his, as his guest, all expenses paid.
Former hostage, Yaffa Adar, said that while in Hamas captivity, she found strength by recalling the music of @AndreaBocelli.When the famous singer found out, he sent a letter to Yaffa saying that he was touched by her story. He writes, "I hope to be able to meet you one day… pic.twitter.com/MsZiiMDZV5
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) December 21, 2023
Bocelli originally heard the news when members of his team were in the middle of lighting Hanukkah candles. They all started crying when they heard and he wrote Adar this letter.
“Dearest Madam Yaffa, I wish I could give you a hug. I would like to thank you for the emotion that your story aroused in all the people who had the privilege to listen to it, and especially in me, as, quite incredibly, I am part of it!” he wrote.
“I truly would never have thought that my humble voice, this great gift I undeservedly received from the heavens could one day turn out to be so important. There is no award, no applause, no honor or recognition that is worth as much as your words, which I assure you, I shall never forget,” Bocelli said.
“Thanks to you, from now on I shall sing with renewed enthusiasm, with renewed faith, with new energy. I hope to be able to meet you one day and sing, just for you, whatever you may wish, so as to erase, as far as possible, the painful memory of terrible days, which I cannot even imagine.”
Yaffa Adar was kidnapped on October 7
Adar said that hearing his words is the highlight of her life.
She was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on a golf cart on October 7 and was released 49 days later, as one of the first 13 hostages freed from captivity, part of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Adar is a mother of three, grandmother of eight, and a great-grandmother of seven. Her oldest grandson, Tamir Adar, 38, remains captive in Gaza.
In an interview with Channel 12, Adar described her experience of being kidnapped by the brutal terrorist group. She told of her mental state while being taken into Gaza on a golf cart, saying, “As I sat there, I said to myself, I won’t let them break me. I want my children to be proud of me. I did not shed a tear.”