Synagogue leaders 'focused' on bringing Triangle native home in ceasefire hostage deal

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 6:26PM ET
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Leaders at Beth El Synagogue said the ongoing Israel-Hamas War has been a source of tremendous anxiety, but now they're hopeful about the ceasefire deal.

Hostages are going to be released and that means synagogue member Keith Seigel will be able to return home.

"We are very much focused on bringing Keith and every single hostage home," said Beth El Synagogue Dr. Rachel Posner. "We will not feel relief until we have all of our people home."

Seigel and his wife Aviva were captured by Hamas more than 460 days ago.

Aviva was released after 51 days, but Seigel has stayed in captivity. She has pleaded for his release.

RELATED: How Israel-Hamas agreement came to be amid false starts, recriminations and deaths of key players

In December, Aviva told ABC11 she feared he would be killed, and shared that she personally witnessed hostages being mentally, physically, and sexually abused.

"No one has visited these people. No one in the international community has been able to visit the hostages. So we don't know who is alive and what is happening to them, and that creates a tremendous amount of anxiety," said Posner.



Some congregation members recently traveled to Israel to see where hostages were taken and there is another trip planned for mid-February.

Aviva did not want to comment yet on the ceasefire deal. Her spokesperson said Aviva is still planning to attend President-Elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, along with families of American hostages.
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