HOSTAGE (2-Part Special): Eli Sharabi on Surviving 491 Days in Hamas Captivity
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
Jonah Platt
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In one of the most powerful and singular conversations ever featured on Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, Jonah sits down with Eli Sharabi, a survivor of 491 days in Hamas captivity. Eli joins Jonah for a two-part conversation that moves from public testimony to deeply personal reflection. The episode opens with a live, onstage discussion at a Magen David Adom gala in Miami, honoring Eli and tracing his journey from Kibbutz Be’eri to captivity and eventual freedom. It then shifts to an intimate studio conversation in Los Angeles, where Eli speaks with remarkable clarity, courage, and humanity about survival, resilience, and the inner discipline that sustained him through unimaginable psychological and physical torment. Together, Jonah and Eli explore the writing of Eli’s book Hostage, the healing power of telling his story, and the global impact of his speech at the United Nations. With profound honesty, Eli reflects on the loss of his wife Lianne, his daughters Noiya and Yahel, and his brother Yossi, and shares his ongoing mission to share his story as a testimony against terrorism, confront disinformation, and raise awareness about the truth of what happened to Hamas captives.
Topics discussed include:
- Eli takes us back to October 7th, sharing what he remembers from the day his life changed forever
- The unimaginable loss of Eli’s family, and how he carries their memory with him
- Honoring the courage and ultimate sacrifices of Amit Mann and Avia Hetzroni from Kibbutz Be’eri
- What inspired Eli to write Hostage and how putting words on the page became part of his healing
- The reality of what food looked like in captivity, and what deprivation teaches you about survival
- How Eli became a mentor and source of strength for Alon Ohel while they were held together
- Eli reflects on meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
- The emotional impact of Itamar Ben Gvir’s comments
- Holding onto tradition, faith, and Shabbat rituals under inhumane conditions
- Inside Hamas’ psychological warfare, and how Eli resisted being broken
- Rebuilding life after captivity, looking ahead, and Eli’s new mission of truth-telling and advocacy
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Thank you to this episodes sponsors.
Americans for Ben-Gurion University
Links to items mentioned in the episode:
I Spent 491 Days as a Hostage of Hamas. This Is My Story
2025 Magen David Adom Miami Gala: From Darkness to Light
Eli Sharabi’s United Nations address
The Heroes in the Battle of Sderot on Oct 7
The Civilian Heroes of Ofakim On Oct 7.
The Be’eri Printing Press: Israel’s Print Shop
Paramedic Amit Man, 22: Sacrificed herself to protect patients.
Senior EMT Aviya Hezroni Killed by Terrorists
'I choose life:' Ex-hostage Alon Ohel recounts Hamas kidnapping
Jewish Diaspora celebrates release of living hostages
Eli Sharabi’s Brother Sharon Never Stopped Fighting For Him
Eli’s first interview after his release
Eli Sharabi Meets with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Eli Sharabi Visits Australian Parliament
Yossi Sharabi Buried in Kibbutz Be’eri
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts Palestinian prisoners
Jachnun (Rolled Yemenite Sabbath Bread)
Bondi Beach terrorists ‘acted alone’ in attack on Hanukkah event — Australian police
Former Hamas hostage Or Levy brings awareness of captives’ plight to South Africa
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Shalom, Kavarim, Banot, and welcome to another very special episode of the world's number one Jewish podcast. |
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| 1:06.0 | Hi there, folks. Today's episode is a special one. In it, I'll be sitting down with Elie Shirabi, |
| 1:12.6 | the 52-year-old former hostage who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity following his abduction |
| 1:19.4 | from Kibbutz Berri near the Israel-Gaza border on October 7, 2023. The episode is divided |
| 1:25.4 | into two segments. The first was filmed live on December 15th, 2025 at the Miami Beach Convention Center as the main event for a gala benefiting Magin David Adom, Israel's only National Emergency Medical Service Organization. The second segment will be filmed right here in studio,-on-one with Ellie as soon as I finish |
| 1:45.5 | shooting this introduction. So strap in, grab your Kleenex, and join me for a one-of-a-kind, |
| 1:51.5 | intimate, two-part conversation with Mr. Eli Sharap. Good evening, everybody. It is my distinct |
| 1:58.8 | pleasure to be here with you tonight in beautiful Miami as we honor and celebrate the brave men and women of Magandavita Dome. |
| 2:07.6 | Tonight's theme, from darkness to light, is more than just a phrase. |
| 2:13.6 | It's a journey, one that Israel has been arduously undertaking step by step every single day since October 7th. |
... |
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