Eli Sharabi, who was held hostage by Hamas for 491 days after being kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, visited The Ohel the resting place of the Rebbe , Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, on the evening of Thursday, March 20.
Sharabi’s visit to the Ohel carried deep significance for him and his family. Last year, his brother Sharon came to the Rebbe’s resting place with Chabad-Lubavitch activist Rabbi Mendy Naftalin to pray for his brother’s release. Exactly a year to the date later, Sharabi was freed, and Naftalin accompanied the brothers on their return trip to express their gratitude for the miraculous blessings.
For 491 days, he was starved and tortured by Hamas, holding onto hope that he would eventually be reunited with his family. At the Ohel, Sharabi spoke about the role of faith in keeping him alive. “I came from the darkest place in the world — 50 meters underground,” he said. “What gave me strength was saying Shema Yisrael every morning. Every Friday night, we tried to make Kiddush. We didn’t have wine, so we used water. It was the faith that kept us alive.”
During the 42-day ceasefire that began in January, Sharabi was one of the 25 living hostages and 8 deceased hostages ransomed by Hamas. Yossi Sharabi was murdered in captivity, and his body is still being held by the Palestinian terror organization.
One of his first request was a spiritual one—a pair of tefillin—and his family's Chabad rabbi was ready to help.
At the Ohel, Sharabi recited the traditional Kaddish mourner’s prayer for his brother for the first time.
