An Evening with Eli Sharabi

A Prologue to the 34^th Edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA Presents

An Evening with Eli Sharabi, author of Hostage

In this raw and unflinching memoir, Eli Sharabi, a survivor of 491 days in Hamas captivity, recounts the harrowing ordeal of his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th, 2023, the loss of his wife and daughters, and his unyielding resolve to survive.

“I refuse to let myself drown in pain. I am surviving. I am a hostage. In the heart of Gaza. A stranger in a strange land. In the home of a Hamas-supporting family. And I'm getting out of here. I have to. I’m getting out of here. I’m coming home.”

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be’eri, shattering the peaceful life Eli Sharabi had built with his British wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel. Dragged barefoot out his front door while his family watched in horror, Sharabi was plunged into the suffocating darkness of Gaza’s tunnels where he endured 491 days in captivity. As war raged above him, Sharabi held onto the hope that he would be reunited with his loved ones.

In the first memoir by a released Israeli hostage, and the fastest-selling book in Israel’s history, Sharabi offers a searing firsthand account of survival under unimaginable conditions—starvation, isolation, physical beatings, and psychological abuse at the hands of his captors.

Eli Sharabi’s story is one of hunger and heartache, of physical pain, longing, loneliness and a helplessness that threatens to destroy the soul. But it is also a story of strength, of resilience, and of the human spirit’s refusal to surrender. It is about the camaraderie forged in captivity, the quiet power of faith, and one man’s unrelenting decision to choose life, time and time again.

Reminiscent of Elie Wiesel’s Night and Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, Hostage is a profound witness to history, so that it shall be neither forgotten nor erased.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eli Sharabi, a member of Kibbutz Be'eri, was born in Tel Aviv in 1972. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and Management and an MBA from Ben-Gurion University. Over the years, he has held key positions in the kibbutz, including treasurer, operations manager, and director. In October 2023, he served as Chief Financial Officer at the Iridium investment fund.

Additional books will be available for purchase on the evening of the event from our partner bookseller, A Cappella Books!

All sales are final. Tickets and books are non-refundable.