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Former Hamas Hostage Tells Parkland Audience How He Survived 505 Days in Gaza 5

Former Hamas hostage Omer Wenkert shares his story of survival and resilience at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Voices of Survival event in partnership with Congregation Kol Tikvah {Courtesy JNF}.

Former Hamas hostage Omer Wenkert stood before a packed sanctuary at Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland Saturday night and told the story of how he survived 505 days in captivity — bringing the trauma of October 7 into the heart of Parkland and reminding local Jewish families how closely their community remains bound to Israel by shared pain, memory, and responsibility.

The program, hosted by Jewish National Fund-USA in partnership with Congregation Kol Tikvah, featured Wenkert as part of JNF-USA’s Voices of Survival and From Darkness to Light event series, which also brought Omer to Boynton Beach, Naples, and St. Louis. The gathering came just days before Israel recovered the remains of its final hostage from Gaza, Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, giving the night added emotional weight for a local Jewish community that has spent months praying, rallying, and raising money for Israelis still living with the aftermath of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Organized by Parkland residents Max Schachter, Howie Krooks, Lonny Anger, and Ken Wiesenfeld, the event was held at the synagogue at 6750 N. University Drive to support Jewish National Fund-USA’s Eshkol Resilience Center, which provides critical support, emotional therapy, and therapeutic services to Israeli families living along the Gaza border.

Former Hamas Hostage Tells Parkland Audience How He Survived 505 Days in Gaza 6

From L to R: Ken Wiesenfeld, Howard Krooks, Adi Taub, Omer Wenkert, Lonny Anger, and Max Schachter at Congregation Kol Tikvah {Courtesy JNF}.

Although Wenkert’s remarks were not recorded, organizers said he described in detail what happened to him on October 7 and the months that followed. According to those who hosted him at similar events, Wenkert spoke about how the days of complete isolation were the hardest part of captivity, how later being reunited with other hostages helped lift his spirits, and how the captives created small routines and quiet acts to stay sane while living under continuous threat of death.

For many of the more than 300 people in attendance, the timing was especially emotional. The event came as Israel searched for Gvili’s remains. When he was finally found, it closed a chapter in Israeli history that had weighed heavily on Jewish communities far beyond Israel’s borders.

“It was incredible to see community members attend this event to hear Omer’s story of survival and resilience,” said Liron Ozery, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Director, Broward County.

“Attendees also learned how Jewish National Fund-USA is changing lives in Israel and heard from local participants of Jewish National Fund-USA’s 3rd Annual Brotherhood Mission to Israel, where dozens of men from across the U.S. are raising millions of dollars to stand in solidarity with, and bestow acts of lovingkindness on, Israelis who were impacted by the war,” Ozery said.

“Funds raised will also support Jewish National Fund-USA’s resilience, therapy, and rebuilding initiatives in Israel’s North and South, as well as small businesses whose livelihoods took a hit with a decline in tourism,” she added.

One of the evening’s organizers, Max Schachter, said the night was a powerful reminder of the long road ahead for survivors and families still coping with the war’s psychological toll.

“The story of what Omer Wenkert endured during his capture and survival was both horrific and motivational,” said Schachter, a Brotherhood Mission participant. “My heart goes out to all the former hostages and their families. The amount of PTSD and trauma that so many Israelis endured since 10/7 is unimaginable. That is why I am partnering with Jewish National Fund-USA. Please help us and donate at jnf.org/donate. No amount is too small.”

Schachter also shared reflections from the evening on social media, writing that “it was an unbelievable night” and that Wenkert “told in excruciating detail how he survived 505 days in Hamas captivity.”

“Yes, I said 505 days. Can you close your eyes and even imagine what 1 day was like?” Schachter wrote. “I was angry and sick and yet inspired and in awe at how a 22-year-old was able to survive the mental and physical torture for so long. Somehow, he knew that what he needed to be to survive was to be hopeful and grateful. Again, he is 22 years old. How is it possible? I will end where I started: he is a hero.”

Schachter, an Israel advocate whose son Alex was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said Wenkert’s willingness to speak publicly left a lasting impression on those who heard him.

“I owed him my full and undivided attention,” Schachter wrote. “We heard the story of a hero last night. So many ways to share what this felt like. As our Brotherhood Mission leader, Dr. Steve Katz so eloquently closed with, ‘you can’t unhear what you just heard.’ We head out in 30 days [on the Brotherhood Mission] to show our love for the people of Israel.”

Organizers emphasized that even as the effort to save hostages drew to a close, the war’s impact continues to shape lives on both sides of the ocean — including through emotional trauma that has led to the suicides of a number of October 7 survivors and IDF veterans.

“The war is not over. The survivors, the soldiers and all the impacted families are suffering from so much trauma and PTSD and the government is not able to help everyone,” Schachter wrote. “That is why Jewish National Fund-USA is expanding resilience center services there. In the aftermath of October 7, the demand for trauma treatment surged by 460%. Residents who had long adapted to the routine trauma of sirens and sheltering suddenly faced a new, unimaginable kind of terror — one that shattered their sense of safety. We must meet this growing need.”

For many in the room, the night reflected a bond that has only deepened since October 7 — a sense that the suffering in Israel is not distant news, but something carried personally by families in Parkland and across South Florida.

To support Jewish National Fund-USA’s resilience, therapy and rebuilding efforts in Israel, donations can be made athttps://jnf.org/donate.

For more information or to learn about future Jewish National Fund-USA events in South Florida, contact Liron Ozery, Jewish National Fund-USA Director, Broward County, at 954-237-1008 x897 or LOzery@jnf.org.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.