Insight into the friendship circle of released Israeli hostage Or Levy: 'He has us, his tribe'

What is it like to be close to one of the hostages? How do you cope with knowing they’re in captivity? And how do you support them once they are finally home? 

Or Levy, from Givatayim near Tel Aviv, told his friends he was going to the Nova musical festival with his wife and tried to persuade them to join them. Mercifully, none of them could make it. Levy (33) is now finally home but his wife, Einav, was murdered at the festival on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists. After Einav was found dead and buried in Israel, it was assumed that it was a matter of time before Or’s body would also be found. 

"I had exams and Daniel was working on his thesis, so we decided not to go," his friend Omri told Ynet News. "On Saturday, while we were in the shelter during the rocket strikes, we texted Or because we knew they had tickets to the festival but were not sure if they were there. He wrote back that it was a mess and that they were under a rocket attack. Once we realized what had happened, we became a command center, joining our knowledge in technology and intelligence." He continued, "We tried to speak to people who were with them in the shelter, survivors of the massacre, but no one remembered."

It was during the shiva for his wife, the week of mourning in Jewish tradition, that it came to light that Levy had been taken hostage and was held captive in Gaza. "Since then, we've been on a mission to support the family and Almog, their little son, to make sure they have everything they need.”

Omri, Daniel, Or and Einav were part of a friendship group that formed back in 2017 when they all worked at the same company, together with two more coworkers named Shachar and Rachel.

"We worked in the same team and we all live in the same neighborhood, so we began doing things together, from Friday night meals to parties, to outings to the beach and to concerts," Omri explained.

"They had a roof terrace and their home was always open. They taught me the meaning of unconditional love," Daniel added, "We would be over there often five times a week. They would never say no. It was Or who made it happen."

The group became inseparable, and the relationships have only deepened since this crisis. Far more than just work friends, this friendship group has been fiercely loyal to Levy throughout the 491 days he was held hostage, doing all they could for him and his three-year-old son who was being looked after by Levy's parents. They would pay regular visits to the Levy home to take care of the place as best they could while their friend was in captivity.

"Or has a green thumb and cares for his potted plants with dedication," Daniel says. "We would come to the apartment two or three times a week to water the plants and basically keep an eye on the place. This was another mission for us." 

"I refused to give up on the notion that he would soon be back," said Rachel. "I kept telling myself that as long as there is a chance, I will have faith and would not allow myself to think otherwise. When we got the call from Geula, Or's mother, we were elated. We watched his release together and went to the Sheba Medical Center to greet him when he arrived. We saw how he was in shock when he grabbed his face in his hands,” she said, “Our Or was back."

Daniel shared the joy they felt as they first saw Or upon his return.

"We saw him standing on his own feet. There is no greater excitement than when we saw him standing on his own feet, walking," adding, "From the moment we met him, things were normal. He asked that we speak openly about everything."

The friends had discussed what it would be like to see Or again, and what they would say to him. Would he appreciate sports updates? Friendly and familiar banter? Would he want to talk at all? To their surprise, Or was open and even joked with them, and they updated him on some news about the L.A. Lakers.

Or’s mother, Geula Levy, also shared her emotions of getting ready to finally embrace him again, saying, "I’m just thinking about the hug. How do I hug him after so long? This is a child I talk to every day. We told little Almog, and he screamed, ‘Dad is coming back!’ while he jumped on the bed.”  

Omri is aware that his friend will have a long road to recovery. "On October 6, he was a married engineer with a son. A year later, he is a widower and a single parent. It is not just the time that was taken away from him, so much was. He tells us bits and pieces of stuff," he said.

For over a year, Levy was trapped in the Hamas tunnels with other hostages who became new friends while they were in captivity. "He tells us about Alon, Eliya and Eli who were with him in the tunnels, chained and hungry. They are part of him. He cannot be what he was. He has to begin a new chapter of physical and emotional recovery and raise a child, living with what had happened.” 

“He has two main things he thinks about,” Levy's brother, Michael said. “To continue the struggle for the friends he left behind, and to return to some kind of normal life, somehow, to live in his own apartment, to work and to be a dad to Mogi.” 

Levy may now be safely back at home in Israel but his life will never be the same. It was only on the day of his release that he learned he had lost his wife. Now he has to rebuild his life, catching up on the time missed with his son Almog after being away for so long, however, he does have a very solid group of friends who have proved they will be there for him no matter what.

"Or is an amazing father," Rachel says. "He reconnected with Almog immediately even though he missed nearly a third of the little boy's life. Or calls it a rebirth. He has to grieve for Einav and build a new life.”

The friendship group is now crowdfunding to help provide for Levy and his son as they face the future together. “We want them to be happy and lack nothing. He cannot do this alone and he certainly won't have to. He has us, his tribe."