The week before Shavuos, R’ Donner and his family flew to Eretz Yisrael for a weeks’ time. On Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, an auspicious day for tefillah, their family traveled to Tiveria to daven at the gravesite of the Shelah Hakadosh. Yidden utilize that day to daven for their own success and the success of their children in Torah study, and the Donners also wanted to utilize that day to the fullest. So, they traveled to the kever of the Shelah Hakadosh to recite his tefillah at that heilige site.
On her way out, Mrs. Donner noticed a lady who stood out from the rest of the crowd. She didn’t fit in with the people who were coming to daven there, and something seemed different, so she went ahead and introduced herself. The lady explained that she had grown up secular with no connection to Torah. Then, pointing to a chain hanging from her neck, she said, “This is a picture of my dear son, Almog Meir. He has been in captivity for the past several months, ever since Oct. 7th. I came here to plead on his behalf — for his wellbeing and for a speedy release.”
Hearing this, Mrs. Donner was moved to tears. She was filled with compassion and asked the woman for her son’s full Hebrew name. Mrs. Donner then returned to the kever with a new wind and a heart bursting with sympathy. She cried her eyes out for his hasty return, and again departed from the kever.
The Donner family enjoyed their Shabbos in Eretz Yisrael, and their trip continued. That Motzaei Shabbos, June 8th, 2024, the news broke forth — that the rescue of Almog Meir Jan and three others had been successfully pulled off. That Friday morning, they had gotten intelligence as to where four of the captivities were being held, and over the next 24 hours, they conducted a “high-risk mission” (how they termed it) and bombed the surrounding area. Shabbos morning, 48 hours after those fervent tefillos, 22-year-old son, Almog Meir was rescued from Gaza, and Mrs. Jan was once again reunited with her beloved son.
