Sharon Alony-Cunio, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border, cannot forget the last words her husband, David Cunio, said to her while they were held in captivity by Hamas terrorists.
“Fight for me,” he said. “Don’t give up. Please yell what I cannot yell. I’m scared as hell.”
Late last November, Alony-Cunio and their 3-year-old twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, were released after 52 days held in Gaza, but David Cunio remains with more than 130 other hostages.
Alony-Cunio, 34, will talk about her captivity and concerns about her husband’s wellbeing next Tuesday, Mar. 19, at 11 a.m. during a virtual event presented by the Baltimore Zionist District with the Maccabi World Union.
Besides Alony-Curio, “Echoes of October 7: Stories of Bravery and Survival” will feature a presentation by Keren Flash, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose family hid in their home’s safe room for more than 20 hours during the Hamas attack before being evacuated.
Flash later learned that her mother and father, Cindy and Igal Flash, both in their mid-60s, were murdered during the pogrom.
“We can’t stay silent, and we can’t let this nonsense that’s going on in the world to continue,” Flash recently told the Cleveland Jewish News. “Because it’s unbelievable that having lived through the horror and the terror of Oct. 7, we still have to justify existing as a people.”
In addition, Israeli Police Chief Superintendent and Spokesperson Mirit ben Mayor will talk about the crimes perpetrated on Oct. 7 and the violations of international law committed by Hamas. She will also discuss the issue of sexual terrorism and the testimonies gathered during the investigation.
“When I speak of Hamas, I’m talking about a cancer in Gaza that took over everything and refuses to let go, and I want to save the patient,” said Flash. “Let’s save the Palestinian people and the Israeli people. No one’s going anywhere, and the only way to keep living there peacefully and not having this happen again and again is to try to coexist.
“It’s the only way.”
For information, visit us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlf-2gqDspG9WrFSGnJHHL9rLYGXzXtPAq#/registration or call the BZD at 410-484-4510.
A committed philanthropist and community leader, Russel was president of R&H Motors.
The mother of four was a native of Winchester, Virginia, who spent most of her life in Northwest Baltimore.
The remaining 6,000 members of the community are expected to immigrate by 2030.
The Columbia resident worked on the Gemini and Apollo space missions.