NAPLES, Florida — Nearly 16 months after the Oct. 7 attacks, the process of healing for Israel is ongoing. Stories of survival are still emerging, including that of a former hostage who endured 505 days in captivity. His experience is now helping to fuel a mission dedicated to Israel’s long-term recovery.
Omer Wenkert, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival attack, spent more than 500 days in the Gaza tunnels. He recently shared his firsthand account here in Naples, Florida, a world away from where his captivity began.
“The festival was beautiful, the crowd was so unique,” Wenkert recalled of the event near the Gaza border. “{Electronic dance} music and festival in Israel, you can be whatever you want.”
That peace was shattered on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas missiles interrupted the celebration, initiating a terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 people.
“Hard to say because it was very loud music, so Kim looked at me and she blinked and smiled and said – ‘They’re shooting at us,'” Wenkert said.
In a panic, Wenkert and his friend Kim fled to a kibbutz, hiding with about 40 others in a small bomb shelter until terrorists found them.
“They threw 7-8 grenades into the shelter, and they set the shelter on fire. They put gas on the bodies at the entrance and set them on fire. Trying to burn us alive,” Wenkert said. “After I went out of the shelter, I saw only dead bodies in the junction and a lot of terrorists.”
Kim did not survive the attack, while Wenkert was taken to Gaza, where he would spend the next 505 days held hostage in tunnels: a period marked by darkness, isolation, starvation, and torture. He was beaten with iron bars. For nearly 200 days, he saw no one. Yet, in that emptiness, he recalls a divine presence.
“I was 197 days alone, completely alone, in a narrow tunnel alone – but I didn’t feel alone for a second,” Wenkert said. “It says a lot about my relationship with God today, with Judaism. I really didn’t feel alone for a second. And I prayed the whole time, and it made me stronger.”
After finally being released in February 2025, Wenkert returned to the world forever changed. His girlfriend, Adi Taub, who had also been shattered by the attacks, was waiting for him.
“When Omer returned from captivity… he brought a lot of light to my life – after a lot and lot of darkness,” Taub said.
Together, they are now focused on a future defined not by hate or anger, but healing. When asked about his dreams, Wenkert’s answer was simple.
“I can tell you that my biggest dream today is being a father – like a real father, a real family guy,” he said.
It is this message of resilience, family, and future that Wenkert now shares, sponsored by an organization turning his story into support for others. Michael Segal, co-chairman of The JNF Brotherhood Mission to Israel, helped organize the tour.
“I felt threatened for the first time as a Jewish person, that if it could happen there, it could happen here,” Segal said.
Segal and founder Dr. Steven Katz lead a fundraising effort that taps into a network of supporters who travel to Israel as hands-on ambassadors. Last year, they raised $2.5 million, funding therapeutic farms for soldiers with post-traumatic stress, rebuilding border communities, and helping supply Israeli Defense Forces units.
“Although the war is over, there’s so much, so many things people need to do – there’s PTSD, there’s a high suicide rate in Israel… and their war is just beginning,” Segal said.
The Brotherhood Mission partners with Jewish National Fund-USA, which helped organize Wenkert’s tour with a single goal: for others to hear his story. They believe that by hearing a witness, you become a witness.
“He’s been through hell on earth like others have been – the message here tonight is ultimately a story of hope and resilience, ultimately the story of the Jewish people and the Israeli people – and her allies of backgrounds and faiths and we have to draw upon that courage, strength, and resilience,” said Josh Mellits, director of Western Florida and Orlando for Jewish National Fund-USA.
Wenkert’s story, born in terror, now fuels a mission of restoration.
“Actually, I feel safer than ever in Israel and I’m happy I’m feeling like that,” Wenkert said. “It’s one more reason to be 100% sure that I’m going to stay in Israel my entire life, no matter what – because it’s my country.”
Learn More:
