I rise this morning to share the story of Amiram Cooper. Amiram is 85, a husband, a father, a grandfather of nine, a composer, and a poet. His love for the arts and writing inspires everyone around him. On October 7, he was 1 of more than 240 men, women, children, and elderly who were kidnapped by Hamas. Amiram was one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the sites of this horrible attack. This tight-knit community was left devastated by the brutality of that day. Amiram and 135 others are still held captive in Gaza today. Their families continue to live a nightmare--devastated, not knowing what conditions their loved ones are in. It has been 123 days. We must demand that medical and aid organizations be able to treat the hostages and negotiate on their behalf. We must continue to do everything in our power to keep these hostages and their families in our hearts and to keep telling their stories. We must bring every single hostage home and end this violence. ____________________
Share & report
More from Becca Balint
As a former teacher, I know that education can be and should be a pathway to financial freedom. For over 45 million Americans facing crippling student debt, education has become an unsustainable economic burden. Student debt is keeping…
I just want to start by giving a heartfelt thank you to my colleague, Morgan McGarvey, a dear friend whose family has become close to my family. Our wives have become close. It just means so much to me to be standing here on the floor of…
Over 65 million Americans rely on Social Security benefits. They shouldn't have to choose between essentials like medication, food, or housing. That is why it is our job to expand and shore up Social Security and not gut it. Cutting these…
We can't truly address the mental health crisis in this country without addressing the stigma head-on. For that reason, I rise today to say that I am one of the millions of Americans who balance day-to-day life with managing anxiety and…





