Hundreds gather in Squirrel Hill to hear account of Israeli held captive by Hamas for 491 days
For Jay Idler, reading the first published account of an Israeli taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, was difficult, but necessary.
“A lot of the hostages are appropriately closed in after having such a traumatic experience,” said Idler of Squirrel Hill. “Having someone elaborate after what they went through was very moving but brought me to tears sometimes.”
Idler was among a sold-out crowd of 700 who gathered Sunday night at Congregation Poale Zedeck in Squirrel Hill to hear Eli Sharabi, author of “Hostage,” speak about his experience and survival after being held hostage by Hamas for 491 days.
Sharabi, 53, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and released in a hostage deal Feb. 8 this year.
Located 3 miles from Gaza, Be’eri was one of the hardest-hit communities in the attack, during which Hamas terrorists killed 101 of its residents. In total, more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were taken hostage, making it the worst terror attack on Israel since its founding. Israel responded with a sustained military operation against Hamas in Gaza that resulted in an estimated 70,000 deaths.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire started Oct. 10, 20 living hostages and the remains of 27 others have been returned to Israel. The most recent remains returned, on Wednesday, were those of Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, who had been employed at Be’eri.
The only hostage remains yet to be returned is Israeli police Officer Ran Gvili. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas would move into the second phase of the ceasefire after Gvili’s remains are returned.
Even as they were hosting and honoring Sharabi, Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said they won’t forget about Gvili.
It’s important for everyone, not just those of the Jewish community, to remember what happened on Oct. 7, Finkelstein said.
Sharabi’s captors had told him his wife, Lianne, 48, and his teenage daughters Noya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were alive. In fact, they had been killed in their home on the day of the attack, which Sharabi did not know until his release. His brother, Yossi Sharabi, was killed after 100 days in captivity.
“It’s important that he (Sharabi) bears witness to what happened to him, his family, his loved ones, and his friends,” Finkelstein said. “We all want peace, but we also can’t forget what happened on Oct. 7.”
Sharabi’s memoir was published in the U.S. this year on the second anniversary of the attack. It has been a New York Times best-seller and was among Time Magazine’s 100 must-read books of 2025.
His appearance in Pittsburgh was one of Sharabi’s first stops on a tour of the U.S., said Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad of Squirrel Hill, the primary sponsor of the event. Sharabi was accompanied by his other brother, Sharon .
Etti Martel and Michael Milch were instrumental in bringing the event to fruition, Altein said.
“It’s important for all of us to hear his story and what he went through and take inspiration from it as well,” Altein said, adding they hope Gvili is released quickly so the hostage ordeal can be put behind them.
Amy Dubin of Squirrel Hill called Sharabi’s story heartbreaking but inspiring.
“It gives you a reason to really want to live and survive the worst that the world can hand you,” she said, holding the book that Sharabi had signed for her.
Dubin said there was “no doubt” that she would be present to hear Sharabi speak.
“This is where we should be tonight,” Dubin said. “Our hearts tell us to be here and support him and bear witness to what happened so we never forget.”
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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