Pnina Knopf's prayers answered with Noa Argamani's rescue

Pnina Knopf saw the power of prayer come to fruition with the June 8 rescue of Noa Argamani, a hostage who was held in Hamas captivity since the Oct. 7 attack.

A board member and former National Council of Jewish Women-Peninsula Section president, Knopf, signed up for Nation on Pause, an online organization that facilitates prayer for hostages, on March 7. The Peninsula Section is based in Lawrence.

Since the Israel-Hamas began in October, Knopf felt she needed a community and a way to help because of her close affiliation and love for Israel. She started attending temple every Saturday at Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre and became involved with Nation on Pause, where participants can either select or be assigned a hostage to pray for.

“For me, I felt more comfortable having them assign me a hostage,” Knopf said. “I didn’t want to pick one because to me they’re all important. Even though I was assigned one, I prayed for all of them.”

Despite the organizations instruction to do special actions during Shabbat to honor hostages, Knopf did daily actions in hopes of Argamani’s safe return home.

“The least I could do is pray for her every day because I felt so helpless,” Knopf said.

When Knopf woke up on June 8, she learned of Argamani’s rescue and her reunion with her mother who has stage four cancer.

“Praying for Noa and belonging to this organization has given me a purpose,” Knopf said.

Since Argamani’s rescue, Knopf has asked for and been assigned another hostage to pray for, Kfir Bibas, a 10-month-old in captivity. She hopes for the opportunity to speak with Argamani one day.

“I’d say to her first and foremost, I could not be more grateful and happy for you that you were rescued and are alive and standing and reunited with your family,” Knopf said. “I cannot even imagine what you went through. I want you know that I’m just holding you in my heart. I pray for your healing and your recovery.”

Knopf grew up in a Jewish home and her father is buried in Israel where her family has a cemetery plot. She communicates with 14 of her relatives every week, who are living in Israel, some of which are fighting in the Israeli Defense Forces. 

“When you’re living in a war zone, you don’t ask people how they’re doing,” Knopf said of her cousins who she speaks with. “I just tell them ‘I love you, I’m thinking of you, and I’m praying for you.”

She had visited family there in 1971, 2011 and 2019 with her son Ben when they attended a 40-person family reunion. Knopf plans to return on a mission and to see her relatives.

On March 6 and 7, she attended the Never is Now antisemitism summit at the Javits Center in New York City, hosted by the American-Defamation League, with NCJW-Peninsula Section, continuing her active role in combating antisemitism and supporting Israel.

She has also expanded the Nation on Pause reach, introducing the organization to the Peninsula Section and the HERJC Israel Committee.

“Every prayer helps, every thought, every hope for everyone’s safe return and as quickly as possible,” Bonnie Sperry, executive director of NCJW-Peninsula section said. “If we can get this brought to my section swiftly, we will.”

To get involved with Nation on Pause visit NationOnPause.org.