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Former Hostage Rom Braslavski: “I Will Meet This Test Too”
After speaking about how deeply he longed to put on tefillin during captivity, Rom Braslavski has announced another new commitment in his spiritual journey.
Former hostage Rom Braslavski has shared another step in his growing connection to Judaism: he has decided to observe shomer negiah, refraining from physical contact with members of the opposite sex.
Braslavski told his followers that the decision was inspired by something he heard in the Torah lessons of Rabbi Yigal Cohen. He also recently met Rabbi Cohen and told him personally that his lessons had inspired him to take on the practice.
“With the help of Hashem and the blessing of our dear Rabbi Yigal Cohen, who brings merit to so many, I will meet this test, too,” Braslavski wrote. “We’re returning to holiness.”
He also had a message for the women who follow him: “If you run into me and I don’t extend my hand, please understand.”
The announcement quickly drew supportive responses online, with followers praising Braslavski and encouraging him to continue listening to Rabbi Cohen’s Torah lessons.
A Growing Connection to Mitzvot
The decision is the latest step in a spiritual journey that Braslavski has spoken about publicly since returning from captivity in Gaza.
His mother has described how, during his captivity, he resisted attempts by his captors to pressure him to convert to Islam, insisting on maintaining his Jewish identity. She also said that one of the first things he did after returning home was put on tefillin.
Braslavski himself has since encouraged other Jewish men to appreciate the opportunity to perform the mitzvah of tefillin.
“Be happy that you have the privilege and opportunity to fulfill this important mitzvah,” he told his followers. “To anyone wondering whether to put on tefillin today, just do it. Remember that there was a young man held captive in Gaza who could only dream of having that opportunity. Be grateful that you are free and have the ability to do it.”
In another post, Braslavski reflected on how deeply he longed for those simple Jewish practices during the most difficult periods of his captivity.
“In the hardest days in Gaza, surrounded by terrorists for weeks, my greatest dream was to do this simple act—to put on tefillin and wrap myself in tzitzit,” he wrote. “Physically, it simply wasn’t possible for me, because I didn’t have them in captivity.”
Now, back home and able to perform the mitzvot he once longed for, Braslavski continues to share his growing commitment to Jewish observance with his followers.
His latest decision, to observe shomer negiah, is another step in that journey—and one he says he is taking with a renewed desire for holiness.
