Australian relays ‘sense of urgency’ for hostage cousin

Nikki Perzuck, whose 19-year-old cousin Naama Levy has been held hostage by Hamas for more than 120 days, tries to maintain her composure as she reads the words of Naama’s mother 14000km away.

Naama Levy, 19, has been a Hamas hostage for 120 days.

Nikki Perzuck, whose 19-year-old cousin Naama Levy has been held hostage by Hamas for more than 120 days, tries to maintain her composure as she reads the words of Ms Levy’s mother.

“On October 7, my girl was kidnapped by Hamas, and that was the last time I received notice about my daughter’s wellbeing,” she tells a small crowd of people in Melbourne, 14,000km away, who have gathered again to demand that Israeli hostages be released.

Ms Perzuck says she feels a duty to be Ayelet Levy Shachar’s voice. “They’re on the other side of the world but it affects all of us, it’s important that we all speak up,” she tells The Australian.

Ms Levy’s mother passed on the letter to Ms Perzuck with a growing sense of urgency, telling her to speak the words as a mother. “I try to be very strong as I’m saying it because I feel I need to project the words in the right way for my cousin. I feel I need to be her voice and I have to show courage and determination because I think that’s what she’s shown,” she says.

Nikki Perzuck (right) speaking at a #BringThemHomeNow event Caulfield Park, Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Valeriu Campan

“It is very emotional to be reading her words and to be thinking of Naama as I’m reading it as well. This young, innocent girl who is involved in all of this and really shouldn’t be … to have someone like that in captivity is unimaginable. And being a mother myself, I know it must be one of the hardest things to experience as a parent.”

Ms Perzuck continues to read the letter: “Naama is a soft-­spoken, quiet and determined girl. She was raised on values of tolerance, acceptance, equality, freedom and social justice. (She) is an optimist, a girl who truly believes in the good of all people.

“She enjoys athletics, dreams of a career in peace and diplo­macy, and whose greatest passion is helping those in need.”

Ms Levy’s mother wants the world to know that before Oct­ober 7, the Levys were just a normal family, Ms Perzuck says.

“Naama used to be so full of joy, so happy and beautiful in family videos … (Ayelet) wanted me to express that side of it, and also to speak out as a mother, to pass on how would you feel if this was your child, that it could be anyone’s child.”

While the world counts in days, the family counts in seconds. “Ayelet expressed to me that time is just so crucial … We talk about it being over 100 days but for what they are experiencing in there, every minute and every hour counts. We don’t have time anymore – this can’t just keep going.”