Waterford man to attend State of the Union
Invited by Courtney to attend Thursday’s address with families of hostages in Gaza
Jerry Fischer of Waterford will be a guest at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Thursday along with families of American hostages taken by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Fischer is the cousin of Liat Beinin, a mother of three who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 attack that claimed the life of her husband Aviv Atzili. Beinin, 49, who has dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, was released from captivity on Nov. 29.
Fischer is the invited guest of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who Fischer credits with taking swift action to ensure that Beinin’s release was high on the agenda of the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
“I called him the minute I learned my cousin had been taken hostage,” Fischer said. “Congressman Courtney personally spoke with Secretary of State Blinken about Liat, and when she was finally released among the last group of hostages to be freed, President Biden called her father, Yehuda Beinin, in Israel to tell him that his daughter had crossed safely from Egypt into Israel.”
Liat’s father heard from the U.S. government before he heard from the Israeli government, Fischer said.
Fischer said it is an honor to be among the invited guests and that he, the families of hostages and a majority of Israelis are hopeful for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza with the end goal of freeing the remaining hostages.
Courtney, in a statement, said he is honored to host Fischer for the State of the Union to recognize “his lifetime of service to Connecticut’s Jewish community and his advocacy ”on behalf of families, like his, who had loved ones violently taken by Hamas.” Fischer is the former executive director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut.
“Since his cousin’s safe release, it has been a relief to see her reunited with family and already back in the classroom teaching,” Courtney said. “Liat’s release, alongside 104 hostages, during the week-long ceasefire in November demonstrates that immediately halting hostilities is the only way to restore a successful hostage release process. I strongly support the negotiated ceasefire that is currently on the table to not only achieve this urgent priority, but to protect innocent Palestinians from additional bloodshed and surge resources to address the humanitarian crisis.”
Republican and Democratic members of Congress are being urged to join the families in wearing yellow ribbons and dog tags during the State of the Union address to draw attention to the ongoing hostage crisis in Gaza.
There are still 134 people, including eight Americans, held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
In a letter to members of Congress, the families of hostages urged legislators to show a firm commitment to do everything possible to secure the release of the hostages.
“For nearly five months, Hamas terrorists have held our sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers — eight of your fellow Americans — captive in Gaza, where they are battling life-threatening injuries and facing torture, abuse, and starvation,” the letter reads. “We have been living a nightmare since October 7, a nightmare now made worse by reports that Hamas has murdered at least 32 of the remaining 134 hostages.”
Fischer said that Beinin is doing well under the circumstances. Her husband’s body remains in Gaza. He said Beinin has pleaded that no Israeli soldier risk their life to try and reclaim Atzili’s body.