Episode 58: Rebuilding after disaster with ex-hostage Tal Shoham

Nov 9, 2025

Tal Shoham, a former hostage who endured a harrowing experience in Gaza, shares his incredible journey of survival and resilience. He discusses the challenges of coping with captivity, including negotiations for his life and the brutal conditions he faced in the tunnels. Tal reflects on the emotional toll of uncertainty regarding his family's safety and his efforts to rebuild trust and a sense of normalcy at home. He also offers insights on the complexities of Gazan society and the hope for national unity in Israel following recent turmoil.

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ANECDOTE

Slow, Gentle Reunions After Release

Tal describes the overwhelming, slow process of reuniting with fellow hostages and allowing them time to process freedom.
He emphasizes taking things step by step after decades of time being erased in captivity.

ANECDOTE

A Split-Second Plea That Saved Lives

Tal recounts convincing captors in seconds to kidnap rather than murder his family during the Kibbutz Be'eri attack.
He remains unable to fully explain why his household was spared while neighbors were killed.

ANECDOTE

Choosing Dignity In The Trunk To Gaza

Tal explains his inner decision to maintain human dignity and demand humane treatment even while kidnapped.
He describes arguing with a captor who aimed his rifle, choosing to surrender loudly rather than kneel.

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As Israelis wait with bated breath to discover if the body of Hadar Goldin, killed and taken into Gaza in 2014, will be returned for burial in Israel, we sit down with returned hostage Tal Shoham for a conversation about his harrowing experience and insights into Hamas and Gazan society. Long-time listeners will recognize Tal's name from one of our earliest episodes with his sister-in-law, our friend Shaked Haran, who described her fight to bring back the eight members of her family who were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. Tal is the last member of her family to come home. He returned in early 2025.

We discussed his survival in impossible conditions of abuse, torture and starvation, his grappling with the uncertainty over his children's survival, and the hard work of rebuilding a home and a sense of safety for children who'd had direct experience of evil.

Today’s episode is sponsored by my friend Elissa Wald, a writer who noticed after October 7, 2023 that American Jews were being marginalized, even ostracized, within the American publishing world. She decided to mount a fierce fight against this trend. She started the Never Alone Book Club with the goal of sending Jewish writers to the NYT bestseller list every month. It has become the biggest Jewish book club in the country but more members are still needed to create a continuous series of Jewish bestsellers.

RABBI ANGELA BUCHDAHL will be joining the Never Alone Book Club on December 10th to talk about her new book "Heart Of A Stranger." If you join the book club now, you can join that conversation. Here is the link to join on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/810380537866936/

If you like what we do here, please join our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything. There you can ask the questions that guide the topics we cover on the podcast, join in our great discussions where listeners share news and valuable resources, and take part in our monthly livestreams where Haviv answers your questions live.

If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠.

Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.