In a powerful expression of faith and gratitude, recently freed hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen visited sacred Chabad-Lubavitch sites in New York today, following their release from Hamas captivity. The visit marked a deeply emotional milestone in their journey of healing, and a reaffirmation of their connection to G-d and the Jewish people.
Their first stop was the Ohel, the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in Queens. There, they stood among hundreds of others, praying and offering thanks for their survival. They also prayed for the safe return of those still held hostage and for peace in Israel.
Later, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, they visited Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway. In the Rebbe’s private study, Sasha donned tefillin—something he hadn’t been able to do for nearly 500 days in captivity—and joined Sapir in prayer in the room preserved exactly as the Rebbe left it. The couple was accompanied by Rabbi Menachem Kotlarsky and Rabbi Levi Lazar, son of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, who guided them through the site.
A Psalm That Foreshadowed the Nightmare: Sapir Cohen’s Story of Faith
Months before her kidnapping, Sapir Cohen was haunted by an inexplicable sense that something terrible was coming. Though she was healthy, she felt as though she were terminally ill. Around that time, a chapter of Tehillim (Psalms) appeared in her social media feed: Psalm 27.
Drawn to its message, Sapir began reciting it daily—unaware of how prophetic those words would become.
“Psalm 27 is traditionally recited during the lead-up to the High Holidays, and its themes include protection from war it also contained the Hebrew word “hamas,” meaning violence,” she said.
Sapir remembers wondering why she was saying this Psalm about war when she was looking for prayers for health.
On the thirtieth and final day of her daily recitation, Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz. It was October 7, 2023—the day Sapir was kidnapped and war had begun.
“It was then that I understood why I was saying psalm 26 about war.”
During her 55 days in captivity, the very psalm she had been saying became her lifeline. She recited it again and again in the tunnels of Gaza, clinging to its words for comfort. “When I said the prayer, I felt peace,” she recalled. “And I thought, how can I feel peace in this situation?”
Held with a frightened 16-year-old girl, Sapir became a source of strength. When they were told they’d be transferred into Hamas tunnels—a moment of panic for the younger girl—Sapir lightened the mood, saying, “We’re in Gaza. We have to see the number one attraction here.”
A Love Torn Apart, and Reunited
Sasha and Sapir were visiting Sasha’s family at Kibbutz Nir Oz when the attack began. They woke to sirens and gunfire and hid under a bed with no shelter nearby. But they were discovered. Sapir was tied up and taken on a motorcycle between two armed men. Sasha, bloodied and on his knees, was beaten and dragged away.
That moment of separation would define the nightmare to come. Sapir was freed after 55 days in a hostage exchange. Sasha remained in captivity for 498 days. While imprisoned, he prayed constantly for her safety—even asking G-d to help her find someone new, convinced he might not survive.
Their reunion was a miracle. And today, together at the Ohel and at the Rebbe’s study, their prayers carried the weight of all they endured—and the strength of a love and faith that not even the darkness of Hamas terror tunnels could break.
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