Freed Hamas hostage Or Levy speaks of resilience, family to hundreds in Wilmette

Or Levy, a freed hostage, tries to smile as much as he can. No simple task following 491 days in captivity after being abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Memories of his time in the Hamas tunnels, he said, still come to him intermittently — before bed, when he opens the refrigerator, when he sees the sunlight — but he chooses not to feel sorry for himself.

To do so would be to admit defeat, he said. Instead, Levy chooses resilience.

Levy shared this message with an audience of more than 300 people at the Fraida-Cameron Chabad Center of Wilmette on Tuesday evening and highlighted the importance of family and connection.

For the event, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, Levy was in conversation with Rabbi Dovid Flinkenstein, co-founder of Chabad of Wilmette.

Chabad of Wilmette was one of several stops on Levy’s national story-sharing tour, which marks his first trip to the United States since his release, and he inspired many in the crowd.

“It’s so important for us to be with our brothers and sisters, and especially see somebody who’s going through hell, these murders, terrorists, and to see (Levy) sitting here and talking and smiling just really gives us a lot of strength,” said Dalia Maor, who attended the talk.

Maor watched the broadcast of Levy’s release on Feb. 8 and said the ability to see him in person on Tuesday touched her heart.

Throughout his captivity, one mantra kept Levy going: “He who has a why can bear any how.” Levy said the quote was shared with him by Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken captive in the same truck as Levy and later separated from him.

For Levy, that “why” was his family: his wife, Eynav, and his son, Almog.

Upon release, Levy learned his wife had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack, and he was unsure if his son — who was 2 when Levy was captured — would remember him.

To Levy’s surprise, Almog shouted and hugged him when the two were reunited. Now, Levy has embraced the role of a devoted father, determined to make up for time spent apart.

“I’ve lost 491 days of his life,” Levy said. “I don’t want to lose any more.”

Levy’s Oct. 7

Levy said he and his wife pulled into the parking lot of the Nova music festival at 6:28 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023. One minute later, at 6:29 a.m., the attacks began.

The couple, alongside other festivalgoers, sought shelter in a nearby bomb hut, but soon explosions, shooting and shouting became closer, he said. Levy begged for his life and was taken hostage alongside Goldberg-Polin, whom Hamas killed in August 2024; Eliya Cohen, freed Feb. 22; and Alon Ohel, still captive.

The ensuing 491 days were what Levy described as a “living hell,” as the hostages were starved, deprived of sunlight and chained together in cramped tunnels.

“I wouldn’t call it living,” Levy said. “We actually call it the waiting room, the way you wait for your sentence. You just survive.”

Six months free as of Friday, Aug. 8, Levy thanked the Jewish community for their continued love, support and prayers and asked them to keep in mind the many hostages who are still captive.

“You continuously connect with a higher why, a why to live forth, and just as you have a why, we, collectively as a people, have a why, and we also cannot identify with that darkness,” Flinkenstein said to Levy during the talk. “A little bit of light can disperse a tremendous amount of violence.”

Inside Chabad

Rabbi Moshe Teldon said the message of Chabad of Wilmette has always been one of “adding light.” One way to do so, he said, is to give the Jewish community ways to embrace their heritage and identity.

Attending Levy’s talk presented an opportunity to participate firsthand.

“The message that I think he’s sharing is the message of resilience, of strength. I think that evil exists in the world, and we stare it down by knowing who we are and knowing that we need to add a light,” Teldon said. “There’s people that will do anything and everything to try to break you down, and I think he’s a living testament to the power of survival.”

For another attendee, Jennifer Loeb, Tuesday was not the first time she has heard a freed hostage speak. She previously attended a talk by Eli Sharabi, who was released alongside Levy.

Loeb said she feels like it’s her “obligation to bear witness” to each person’s story.

“What’s struck me about both of them (Sharabi and Levy) is resilience,” she said. “That the human spirit can withstand what these people have been through and still come out smiling. … Gives me goosebumps and chills.”

Loeb said she hopes that by supporting the survivors, the Jewish community can take some of their load off.

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