Former hostage Omer Shem Tov spoke to a crowd of 400 at Chabad Minneapolis on Wednesday, where he spent the night vividly retelling stories from his more than 500 days in captivity. The audience experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, going from tears to laughter as Shem Tov shared his experience, from feeling like a caged animal as Hamas paraded him through the streets to returning home to seeing his room look like “a synagogue,” as he called it.
“I was very inspired to see how someone could overcome such difficult times and live to tell the story,” Ross Fishman said.
His experience felt personal to many Minnesotans. Kiel Majewski was on the first Tikvatenu trip with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, where the volunteers heard from Omer’s mother, Shelly. Shelly and Malki Shem Tov were co-founders of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“It was a moment that was indelible for me, and to finally be able to meet him and know that he survived is so uplifting. [Meeting him] felt like something I had to do,” Majewski said before the event. “I hope that other people will feel in some way inspired to keep up the pressure to bring the hostages home.” Afterward, Majewski said he felt like he could “hang on every word … I was just absorbing it all, and I was really impressed with the spirit he has come through this with.”
Shem Tov was held in underground tunnels in Gaza for 505 days after he was taken from the Nova Music Festival. Recently, he has been traveling to communities across the country to talk about his experience.
Aaron Goldstein was also on the Tikvatenu trip, and felt “a personal touch” with Shem Tov and his story. Goldstein recalled how Shelly told the tripgoers everything she had heard about Omer since he was in captivity. Omer told many of those same stories Wednesday night, including how he became more religious during captivity and how he managed to survive on a diminishing amount of food, from one pita a day all the way down to a single biscuit. When he first heard about Shem Tov’s visit, Goldstein knew he had to be there. “This is a huge deal for our community and him,” he proudly stated.
Meeting Shem Tov was a full-circle moment for Lauren Zabezhinsky. She and her sister traveled to Israel, and they met Shelly at the Hostage Forum.
“That night, I took a pamphlet that people have seen all over the country and all over the world of his face with some prayers in it, and I have kept it in my bedside table drawer since I met [Shelly] two years ago,” she said, “And tonight I wanted to come and meet [Omer], show him, tell him the story, and then stand together and rip it up and throw it in the garbage, so we did that together (with his permission),” she proudly shared.
Although she already knew Shem Tov’s story, Noa Goltzman, who was in the IDF on October 7, said it was “very difficult to hear that … hearing it from him is more difficult [than hearing about it online], it’s very emotional.” Goltzman hopes that Americans can “hear the story from him, hear what happened for real, and maybe it will do something to bring the other [hostages] back.”
Majewski agreed, stating, “I hope [Omer’s spirit] can translate to all of us, that same strength and courage and dedication to advocating for the freedom of the hostages.”
The other hostages were a theme throughout the night, as Shem Tov shared the miraculous story of Eliya Cohen, whom he was released alongside, and his fianceé, Ziv Abud. The emotional evening concluded with Rabbi Shmuly Silberstein, Education Director of Chabad Minneapolis, leading a prayer to bring all the hostages home.