This week, Ilay David told us that after his brother Evyatar returned from captivity, he lost his voice.

Not figuratively. Literally.

For nearly a week, he could barely talk. His voice was totally gone. He could not speak above a whisper. Only later did he understand what had happened. For two years, he had been his brother’s voice.

He had spoken in every interview, at every gathering, during every rally. He had carried Evyatar’s story to the White House, the United Nations and to government officials around the world. Evyatar could not speak for himself and so Ilay spoke for him.

Then, suddenly, his brother came home.

The voice that Ilay had borrowed was no longer his to carry. Now, he said quietly, he is trying to find his own voice again.

I don’t think he realizes that he already has. His voice was loud and clear.

When Ilay last came to Alon Shvut in September 2024, his brother Evyatar was still a hostage, and yet I left his talk feeling that I had been given “a desperately needed breath of fresh air.”   

This week, he returned to close the circle and address us on the topic: “A Guide to Being the Brother of a Hostage: What I Learned About Times of Crisis, Life’s Breaking Points, and Living with Uncertainty.”

We often think resilience means being fearless. Ilay described something far less glamorous and much more real. He spoke about building resilience long before you know you will need it. He built his own through challenging himself academically........

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