In an interview with Israeli television station Channel 13 News, Malachi and Shelley Shem Tov shared how their son, Omer, maintained his faith during 505 harrowing days held captive by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Omer Shem Tov, 21 at the time, was attending the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian terrorists launched their devastating invasion. Over the next many hours, the terrorists brutally attacked Israeli men, women and children, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others to hold as hostages—many of them from the festival. Shem Tov was captured alongside his friends Maya and Itay Regev, who were released during the first ceasefire in November 2023. While initially held captive together with Itay, Shem Tov would spend the next 450 days in solitary confinement in Hamas tunnels.
Shem Tov endured horrific conditions while he was a hostage of Hamas. His captors tormented and starved him, taking pleasure in eating their meals in front of him. He was initially imprisoned in apartments before being moved to underground tunnels, sometimes dressed as a Muslim woman. During one transfer, he was lowered into a tunnel in a small bucket.
After more than 16 months, on Feb. 22, Shem Tov was finally freed alongside Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham and Eliya Cohen. All four Jews had been subjected for more than a year to physical and psychological abuse, and prolonged isolation in complete darkness.
Shem Tov’s parents recently disclosed that during his captivity their son had begun observing Shabbat. Shelley Shem Tov shared that during this past, excruciating year, she too had pledged to begin keeping Shabbat. She’d committed herself to it on the weekend of Feb. 10, 2024—the weekly Torah portion of Mishpatim. Exactly one year later, on the corresponding Shabbat of Mishpatim, her son Omer was released.
The Shem Tovs said that the Hamas terrorists who’d guarded their son occasionally provided him with reading material left behind by Israel Defense Forces soldiers operating in Gaza.
One such text became a source of spiritual strength for their son: an edition of Dvar Malchut, a weekly Chabad publication.
First published in 1991 by Rabbi Tuvia Peles, each Dvar Malchut comprises about 250 pages of densely packed Torah wisdom, including a maamar from the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—with extensive explanation. It also includes the weekly Torah portions with Rashi’s commentary (Chumash); Psalms, as broken down for each day (Tehillim); and the daily study portions for Tanya, these three forming the daily Chitas study program. Among the other Torah wisdom each Dvar Malchut features is HaYom Yom, Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, folios of Talmud for daily study, Pirkei Avot and chapters of Tanach.
Video of Shem Tov’s bedroom as it was left before his abduction showed a picture of the Rebbe on the wall—and a Chitas book (a single-volume compilation of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya)—at his bedside.
The edition of Dvar Malchut that helped sustain Shem Tov bore the name of IDF soldier Yoel Elbaz on its cover. Shem Tov is now seeking to connect with Elbaz to thank him for providing this spiritual lifeline during his darkest hours.
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