In an emotional interview, Eliyahu Shalom Liebman has broken his silence about his decision to enter Israeli politics. The former head of the Kiryat Arba-Hebron regional council, a security officer, and longtime Hebron resident, Liebman lost his son Elyakim in the October 7 attacks. Elyakim was killed while heroically rescuing wounded victims at the Nova music festival near Re'im, though his burial site remained unknown for seven agonizing months.
Now Liebman is joining the Noam party, a religious-Zionist political movement. In a wide-ranging conversation with Kikar Hashabat, he explained what motivated this step, how he's channeling his grief into public action, and why he believes strengthening Jewish education and identity is the fundamental solution to Israel's challenges.
Speaking with visible emotion, Liebman began the interview by reciting the blessing "shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro" over a glass of water, connecting it to his worldview: "Everything that happens in the world, including what we've experienced personally, happens by the word of the Holy One, Blessed be He. We live in Hebron because that's where the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people are buried. They began the matter of faith, kindness and tradition. When everything happens by His word, everything connects."
