JOHANNESBURG – Tears filled a Johannesburg synagogue as Or Levy, a former Hamas hostage, recounted the devastating moment he learned of his wife’s death after 491 days in captivity—the same day he was finally reunited with his four-year-old son.
“He just told me: ‘Mom is dead’. I know, it’s the hardest sentence to hear from a child,” Levy told the weeping audience of approximately 500 people, a yellow ribbon pinned to his suit honoring those still in captivity.
Levy’s February release marked what he described as “simultaneously the best and worst day of my life.” While freedom brought reunion with his son, it also brought the crushing news that his wife had been among more than 360 people killed in Hamas’ attack on the Supernova Music Festival on 7 October 2023.
Brutal conditions in captivity
The 30-something former hostage, still visibly gaunt six months after his release, described horrific conditions during his imprisonment in Gaza tunnels.
“I can tell you that in 2024, I only saw the sunlight once,” Levy recounted. That single glimpse came in January when bombing forced captors and hostages to briefly flee their underground prison.
He detailed being treated “like a dog,” fed once daily – typically one pita bread and two cans of food shared among four people – and losing 20kg during his ordeal.
“We were shackled for the entire time,” he said, with restraints only loosened for brief showers approximately every two months.
Levy was among 40 people captured during the festival attack, part of a larger Hamas-led raid that killed 1 219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of 251 total hostages seized, 47 remain in Gaza, with 25 presumed dead by Israeli military estimates.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 63 000 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures that the United Nations considers reliable.
Controversial speaking tour
Levy’s Johannesburg appearance was organised by the local Jewish National Fund (JNF), a state-linked Israeli organisation, following a similar four-week tour in the United States. Since May 2024, local Jewish groups have organized at least 16 such events featuring former captives, survivors, or victims’ families.
The choice of South Africa as a venue carries particular significance, as the country filed genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
For Levy, the public talks serve a dual purpose. “It’s kind of therapeutic for me,” he told AFP after his hour-long address. “It’s hard, but it helps.”
However, his primary motivation remains clear: “For me, the main mission is to bring everyone back. I think that everyone needs to hear what I’ve been through and what others are still going through.”
Community divisions
The speaking tour has exposed deep divisions within South Africa’s Jewish community of approximately 50 000 people. While historically producing anti-apartheid stalwarts like Joe Slovo and Albie Sachs, the community now finds itself split over Israel’s Gaza campaign.
Rina King from South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) criticised the events, claiming organisers “are desperately trying to stop the hemorrhaging support for the genocide in the Jewish community.”
She argued the initiative attempts to “counter the dominant narrative” by focusing on militant actions while “presenting themselves as victims,” adding that “more and more” Jews are supporting SAJFP.
Academic criticism
Steven Friedman, a University of Johannesburg political science professor and author of “Good Jew, Bad Jew” (2023), questioned the ethics of the speaking tour.
“They ask a traumatised person to relive their trauma over and over again,” Friedman told AFP. “The initiative claims to support victims, but in reality, it’s about demonising the other side.”
Before Levy’s address, Israeli embassy deputy head of mission Ariel Seidman – the most senior Israeli diplomat in South Africa since the ambassador’s 2023 recall – emphasised the need for “unity” among the audience.
For Levy, speaking in South Africa held special importance precisely because of the country’s critical stance toward Israel. He told AFP that visiting South Africa was more valuable than going to fully supportive countries where he would merely be “preaching to the choir.”
The JNF is organising similar visits globally, including upcoming events in Australia featuring Eli Sharabi, who was held in the same tunnel as Levy, with additional tours planned for Britain and Canada.
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