Freed hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen sings with Idan Raichel
Kibbutz Nir Oz resident speaks about sense of hope and loss experienced by his community, during performance of Shalom Hanoch’s song ‘Children of Life’
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Released hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen performed with singer-songwriter Idan Raichel as part of last week’s Memorial Day events in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
Dekel-Chen sang Shalom Hanoch’s song “Children of Life,” accompanied by Raichel on piano.
The former hostage, who was released in February during the since-collapsed ceasefire deal, added the following thoughts during the song:
“I’m here in the name of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a kibbutz of tears. We lost 53 friends, we’re held by hope, friendship, unity, love and we live through the disaster. The skies, the sea, and the trees are left beautiful only in our imagination.”
“A week ago, I returned to Nir Oz for the first time, and at the entrance to the kibbutz, I saw an old sign with the message: ‘I’m not tired of the way, but rather of the path.'”
“When I left,” continued Dekel Chen, “I imagined a new sentence: I’m free, but I have no rest.”
When Dekel-Chen was taken captive on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, his wife, Avital, was pregnant and in their shelter with their two young daughters.
Avital Dekel-Chen, known as Mili, gave birth while her husband was still in captivity. Her husband, Sagui, didn’t know the name of his new daughter, Shahar Mazal, until he was freed from Gaza earlier this year.
In January 2025, several weeks before Dekel-Chen was released to Israel, Raichel released a new song, “Hello from Another Life,” inspired by what happened to the Dekel-Chen family.
His appearance with Sagui Dekel-Chen offered an opportunity for Raichel to close that circle.
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