Behind the Viral Photo of the Blindfolded Shliach

By COLlive reporter

An unusual photo showing a Lubavitcher chossid blindfolded is going viral in Israel and making a Kiddush Hashem.

It shows a man sitting on a chair in the middle of a busy intersection in the city of Tel Aviv as he is blindfolded, hands cuffed, and barefoot. Alongside him is a chossid wearing a black hat and jacket, and also blindfolded.

The story behind it goes as follows:

The man’s name is Nir Kaftori and his heart has been going out to all of the Israeli hostages still being held by savage Hamas terrorists in Gaza and their relatives yearning to see them back.

Disappointed that it had taken so long for Hamas to release them, Kaftori decided to stage a single-person protest, which proved to be very powerful.

He said people have reacted to him differently, some offering him a drink of water and others expressing support. Israeli police and a Magen David Adom ambulance even drove by to check on him.

“Maybe it will remind those involved that there are people who are in an even worse situation for over 300 days,” he said.

On Thursday, Rabbi Mendel Goodman, Director of the Chabad center in Tel Aviv’s Maoz Aviv neighborhood, approached him.

He offered Kaftori to put on Tefillin and dedicate the Mitzvah and the davening to free the hostages.

Kaftori asked whether the Shliach would express solidarity with his pain for the hostages.

Of course, was his reply.

And so, a secular Israeli man and the Chabad Shliach sat together for a while in the summer heat, blindfolded and thinking about their Jewish brothers and sisters.

Following that, Kaftori put on Tefillin with great emotion.

VIDEO:

ניר כפתורי לא מוכן לשאת את העובדה שהחטופים נהיו כלי במשחק הפוליטי.

אחרי שראה שההפגנות עבורם מנורמלות, הוא החליט לשבת כל בוקר על אי תנועה קטן.

אדם אחד שמנסה להזכיר לכולנו: 115 אחים ואחיות שלנו נמצאים עדיין בעזה, ולא תהיה לנו תקומה עד שהם ישובו הביתה.

ככה נראית אהבת חינם 🎗️ pic.twitter.com/a5tXWYmv95

— Ran Harnevo (@harnevo) August 12, 2024