BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Hamas-led militants Thursday released eight hostages, including three Israelis, as part of the ongoing hostage-for-prisoner exchange with Israel. Among them was Agam Berger, 20, an Israeli soldier who was released in northern Gaza to the Red Cross before being reunited with her family.
Berger was among the hostages featured last fall on billboards around greater Cleveland in a "Bring them home" campaign by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. It was an effort to bring attention to the individual stories behind the hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Berger's billboard was along I-77 heading north into Downtown Cleveland. It was one that Berger's friend, Ella Caspi, passed daily on her way to work.
"I was so excited; I was alone in the car, and I started to scream, I was like 'Oh my God, oh my God.' And I turned around, and I had to go by it again," Caspi told News 5 last fall. "I think it's a sign that the first place that her billboard is being placed is right next to where I live."
Caspi took pictures of the billboard and shared them with Agam's mom and sister back in Israel.
"She was so moved by it. She said, 'I can't believe that it's happening outside of Israel.' And I said, 'Yes, we're thinking about her; I'm doing everything I can to talk about her and to raise the awareness.'"
Agam's parents said in a statement on Thursday that they are grateful for the support and prayers they've received from across the globe.
"Thank God we have reached this moment, and our hero Agam has returned to us after 482 days in enemy hands," the statement read. "Now Agam and our family can begin the healing process, but the recovery will not be complete until all the hostages return home."
Ella Caspi arrived from Israel to work at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland on Oct. 6, 2023, literally the day before the attacks. It wasn't long, she told me, before she learned of not just Agam's abduction but other friends and acquaintances as well.
"You look at the news, and you read the names, and you say, Oh my gosh, I went to high school with this one, and I was in the military with this one, and I know this name.' You recognize more than one name."
Knowing Agam's is a name no longer listed among the missing but among the freed and reunited is something that brings her and all of those at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland a touch of relief, but as the Federation said in a statement:
"Our community cannot fully begin to heal until the remaining 82 hostages are released. We pray that in the coming weeks, they all will be."
