Hostages Connected to Judaism to Help Them Survive
While held in captivity in Gaza, American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegal began saying the Shema prayer, “just connecting with God,” he explained in a social media reel. Born and raised in Chapell Hill, NC, Keith had moved to Israel over 40 years ago, where he met and married his wife Aviva. They lived in the Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where they raised their four children. Throughout those decades, Keith did not have much occasion to remember any of the Jewish liturgy he had learned as a child in his family’s Conservative synagogue.
On October 7th, Hamas terrorists kidnapped 65-year-old Keith and 63-year-old Aviva from their home in Kfar Aza and brought them to Gaza. Aviva was released in November 2023, in the first hostage deal. Keith remained in captivity for 484 days. For about half a year, he was held alone, in a locked room.
At a rally in Tel Aviv, Aviva described the horrors her husband experienced in captivity: most of the time, he was “lying on a mattress on the floor in a very small room, hungry, with the only food he got being moldy pitas or burnt ones, unfit for human consumption. On one of the days, the terrorist who was with him came over, kicked him in the ribs with full force, spat on him, and called him ‘you dog,’ for no reason, just because he wanted to. One day, the terrorist pointed a gun at him and said, ‘Now I’m going to shoot and kill you.’1”
Keith lost 30 kg (66 lbs) in captivity. He experienced both physical and psychological abuse and was moved from one place to another 33 times. He did not think he was going to come out of Gaza alive.
Keith Siegal being embraced by his wife, Aviva, upon his release from Hamas terrorists
Under such unimaginable circumstances, Keith found strength and comfort in reconnecting to his Judaism. “We had a pita bread for every meal, that was the first thing I would eat after I said the bracha [blessing],” says Keith. The blessing on bread was the only one he remembered. Later, he saw a bit of Israeli TV that his captors had turned on. The TV episode was showing good places to eat in Tel Aviv, and one of the people in the show made a blessing “borei minei mezonot,” recited on pasta and baked goods. When Keith heard the blessing, he decided to recite it before eating things other than pita. “I thought it was appropriate,” he said. “But it was the only one I knew.”
“In that inferno, he remembered that he is a Jew and that there is significance to his people and to where he came from. This gave him a lot of strength.”
After Keith returned from captivity, Shir asked him what he would like for the first Shabbat dinner they would spend together as a family. She thought he would ask for a special dish. Instead, Keith said to her, “What I want most is a kippah and a kiddush cup.”
Shir was surprised. She reflects that it’s especially when our enemies force us to abandon our traditions that we remember how our parents had lived their lives and resolve to follow in their footsteps. In Gaza, the terrorists had tried to talk to Keith about Islam and convince him that it was the true religion. Keith refused to listen to them. Instead, he clung to his own religion.
Omer Shem Tov and Shabbat
Even before Omer was released after 505 in captivity, he became famous as the hostage who made kiddush on Friday nights. Kidnapped from the Nova music festival, 22-year-old Omer was originally held together with his friend Itay Regev, who was released in the first hostage deal in November 2023.
Upon his return, Itay told Omer’s parents Shelly and Malki that Omer had begun observing Shabbat in captivity. Though the Shem Tov family did not observe Shabbat fully, they always had a Shabbat dinner on Friday nights, where Omer would always make kiddush. While in Gaza, Itay and Omer spoke about how much they missed Friday nights at home.
“Creator of the World, thank you for being with me every moment!”
Soon afterwards, the terrorists that held them brought them a bottle of grape juice. Itay and Omer made sure to keep track of the days of the week. They saved the grape juice for Shabbat. When they received some salted pretzels, they scraped off the salt and saved it for Shabbat too. On Friday nights, they would cover their heads with pieces of toilet paper instead of a kippah, and Omer would recite kiddush. Then they would make a blessing on a pita and dip it in the salt from the pretzels.
Omer would also refrain from actions forbidden on Shabbat. Itay shared that in the place where they were held, the power would go out every evening at 5 PM. The hostages were given flashlights for their own use. On Shabbat, Omer refused to turn on his flashlight, remaining in the darkness.
As Omer’s family left no stone unturned advocating for his release, his mother Shelly also felt inspired to strengthen her connection to Judaism. Exactly a year before Omer’s release Shelly attended a Shabbat event for families of hostages, organized by the Kesher Yehudi movement, where she fully kept Shabbat for the first time in her life. “This was a Shabbat I will never forget,” Shelly wrote in a social media post on Friday before her son’s release2. “…On that day, I decided to keep Shabbat. Since then, I have kept Shabbat for a year, and more than I kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept me. And God willing, this Shabbat I will hug my Omer, exactly a year later. It’s amazing!”
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After Omer was released and reunited with his family, his parents shared that Omer had grown stronger in captivity, despite losing significant weight. For much of his time in Gaza, he was held alone in a tunnel and was abused, deprived of food, and humiliated. Nevertheless, he retained his optimism and contagious smile.
Shelly publicly thanked God for answering her prayers and returning Omer home. She also expressed her gratitude to the late Ori Danino, who had saved Omer’s life at the Nova festival, was also taken hostage, and was murdered in captivity. Shelly thanked the Israeli government, the IDF, and everyone who was involved in bringing her son home.
In his first social media post since his release, Omer wrote3, “Creator of the World, thank you for being with me every moment!” He also acknowledged Ori Danino and thanked the IDF. On the picture, he was wearing tefillin and a tallit.
Omer being reunited with his parents
Ohad Ben Ami and Havdallah
When 55-year-old German-Israeli hostage Ohad Ben Ami was released from Hamas captivity, he wanted to learn how to conduct havdallah, the ceremony at the end of Shabbat. In Gaza, he had participated in havdallah conducted by other hostages, and he drew closer to Judaism.
Ohad, father of three, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri together with his wife Raz, who was released in a previous hostage deal in November 2023. After his wife’s release, Ohad was held together with five other hostages in a tiny room, 6 square meters (65 square feet) in size. He returned to Israel emaciated and frail.
Ohad’s daughter Yulie said at a news conference, “My father lost much of his weight, but not his spirit. My father is strong, and I admire him. He survived hell.”
“I got stronger in captivity,” Ohad said in a social media reel showing him conducting havdallah at home. “I really felt that there was Someone Above watching over me, and I needed to be strong.”
Ohad wearing tefillin
In another social media reel, Ohad, wearing tefillin, said, “What unites us is faith in God. On a personal level, it strengthened me and saved me. Thanks to God I am here now, after captivity… Our faith gives us strength at times when we feel crushed.”
Havdallah at Beilinson Hospital
After they were released on Shabbat, former hostages Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert were taken to Beilinson Hospital. After Shabbat, they gathered around Eliya’s grandfather, Aharon Rabi, as he conducted havdallah.
It was an emotional ceremony, with everyone present praying for the success of the Israeli government and the IDF and the wellbeing of the hostages and wishing everyone a good week.
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The released hostages, finally returned to the embrace of their families, have a long road ahead of them. Undoubtedly, their faith and connection to Judaism will support them on this road, inspiring the rest of us along the way.
Related article: Agam Berger’s Faith in Gaza
- Aviva Siegel reveals: The terrorist pointed a gun at Keith and threatened to kill him. Israel National News, Feb 18, 2025. Available at https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404086, accessed on February 25, 2025.
- אם החטוף ששוחרר: “לפני שנה בדיוק התחלתי לשמור שבת. Available at https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1687186, retrieved on February 25, 2025.
- עומר שם טוב בפוסט ראשון, מודה לאורי דנינו שנרצח בשבי: “מלאך, בזכותו אני כאן” Available at https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1oyues5yx, retrieved on February 25, 2025.
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Date: February 26, 2025
