Hostage Survivor Reborn as "Zalman Zelig"
From a Hamas Dungeon to the Covenant of Abraham: The Rebirth of Zalman Zelig
In front of thousands of weeping spectators in Moscow, Maxim Harkin, who survived 738 days of hell in captivity, performed the ultimate act of Jewish defiance and faith.
It was supposed to be a standard celebration of the 19th of Kislev, the "New Year of Chassidut," at the massive MTS Hall in Moscow. Thousands of Jews from across Russia had gathered to sing and pray. But no one prepared the crowd for the moment that would bring the entire stadium to a tearful, trembling silence, followed by an eruption of joy that shook the heavens.
Maxim Harkin, a man who became a symbol of survival after enduring 738 days in the dark dungeons of Hamas before his miraculous release this past Sukkot, took center stage not just to tell his story, but to change his destiny forever.
In an event that will be etched in the memory of every person present, Harkin entered the Covenant of Abraham publicly, declaring that while his body had been held captive, his soul was now freer than ever.
A New Name, A New Life
The atmosphere was electric as the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, took the microphone. Beside him stood the Rishon LeZion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef. But all eyes were on Maxim.
The Mohel, Dr. Shaya Shfit of the "Brit Yosef Yitzchak" organization, performed the bris. As Rabbi Lazar recited the blessing over the cup of wine, a hush fell over the thousands in attendance.
He was no longer just Maxim. The Rabbi announced his new Hebrew name: Zalman Zelig.
As the name echoed through the hall, the crowd erupted. Total strangers embraced, weeping openly at the sight of a Jewish soul that the enemy tried to crush, now standing tall and proud, reconnecting to the chain of generations.
"I Found God in the Darkness"
Visibly moved and with a new pair of Tefillin presented to him as a gift, Harkin approached the podium. His voice, once silenced by terrorists in the tunnels of Gaza, rang out with clarity and strength. He revealed to the stunned audience that it was precisely in the suffocating darkness of captivity that he discovered the light of the Creator.
"That spiritual strength," he told the crowd, his voice thick with emotion, "is what held me together for two years of hell. I found G-d where no one thought He could be found."