Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida for her leadership on this issue. I rise today to tell the story of Ofer Kalderon. On October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Ofer, along with his children Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12, was taken hostage by Hamas from the Nir Oz Kibbutz close to the Gaza Strip. During that brutal attack, 29 of Kibbutz Nir Oz's 400 residents were murdered, and 80 were taken captive. These are not just numbers. Those residents who were murdered were individuals with hopes now extinguished, with lives now cut short. Those taken hostage are living in unimaginable terror, and their families are waiting, hoping for good news and fearing the worst. Ofer is a father of four, a carpenter. He loves to build and to rebuild engines, to travel, to take family camping trips, to race and ride dirt bikes, to help cook Shabbat dinner for his family. When asked about Ofer, his family describes his easygoing energy and a huge smile. We cannot lose sight of the fact that there is a family and a story like this one behind each one of these names of those murdered and of those taken hostage. Ofer is one of them. Ofer's children have thankfully been returned, but their family will not be made whole again until Ofer is released, as well. His relatives are my constituents, and my office is providing any support that we can, but the ultimate responsibility is on Hamas to release Ofer and all hostages immediately and unconditionally.…”