October 7th Hostages: A Conversation with Jonathan Dekel-Chen

Jonathan Dekel-Chen is a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the places most devastated by the October 7th massacres. His 37 year-old son Sagui--a father of three young girls--was among the hostages from Nir Oz; he was released on February 14, 2025. Since the Hamas attack on his kibbutz, Dekel-Chen has advocated internationally for release of the hostages. Dekel-Chen is also the Rabbi Edward Sandrow Chair in Soviet and East European Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he holds a dual appointment in the Department of Jewish History and in the Department of General History. Dekel-Chen will share thoughts on his experience as a hostage family member and how the October 7th massacres do and do not fit into longer trajectories in Jewish history.