Nearly Three Years Since Haimnot Kassau Disappearance: Family Fights On
Nearly three years after the disappearance of young Haimnot Kassau, her family maintains their protest in Jerusalem. Public figures, including Hodaya Cohen, have joined the campaign to keep her memory and search alive.
Almost three years have passed since the last documented sighting of young Haimnot Kassau, and her family continues an unrelenting fight for her return. Recently, her parents, Tesfia and Benchi Kassau, stayed at a protest sukkah set up opposite the government complex in Jerusalem, after authorities denied permission for a protest tent at their preferred location.
The Ongoing Struggle and Public Support
Family members stated that public backing provides them with strength to continue their campaign, while emphasizing that their primary goal remains unchanged: finding Haimnot and achieving a breakthrough in the investigation. Hodaya Cohen, a former contestant on "The Big Brother" whose brother Avraham was murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7, could not remain indifferent as this week marked three years since her brother's passing.
In a poignant and chilling Instagram post, Cohen shared a photograph of herself wearing a t-shirt featuring Haimnot's image. She wrote:
"Days that are truly impossible to explain in words. Days when the heart is broken and trying to heal, days when the sense of loss is more physical, tangible, and present. This week has been full of such days for me."
Amplifying the Cry for Justice
Cohen explained her decision to wear the shirt, noting that she wanted to be a voice rather than mere background decoration. She chose to wear Haimnot's image to voice a plea that touches her deeply on a personal level during her own journey regarding Avraham and dozens of other missing individuals. She reminded the public that there is a young, innocent girl with parents and siblings waiting for her return.
"Haimnot is not just a picture on a shirt. She is an entire world, a story that must not vanish from our consciousness," Cohen wrote with pain. Haimnot disappeared after leaving her home at the absorption center in Safed alongside a friend, with rare surveillance footage capturing her final movements while leaving massive question marks regarding her whereabouts.
