Who is Liat Beinin Atzili? Freed American hostage who worked at Israel's Holocaust memorial
Beinin and Atzili
Liat Beinin Atzili, a 49-year-old American-Israeli citizen, gained attention after being abducted by Hamas on October 7.
Her background as a youth guide at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust remembrance centre, added a poignant layer to the incident for many Israelis.
She was freed from Hamas' clutches on Wednesday (Nov 29), the second American hostage released after4-year-old Abigail Edan was successfully released on Sunday (Nov 26) amid the truce between Israel and Hamas.
Liat and her husband, Aviv Atzili, both 49, were taken hostage during a Hamas militant attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Liat volunteered at Yad Vashem and was able to connect with the visitors because of her positive demeanour and good command of theEnglish language, media reports said.
On the other hand, Aviv, an artist and mechanic, maintained farm machinery at Kibbutz Nir Oz and turned old equipment into canvases for his paintings.
The coupleadopted a special-needs dog. But the dog was killed in the onslaught by Hamas on the fateful day of October 7. Liat and Aviv met as youth counsellors and got married after travelling for three years. They finally settled at Kibbutz Nir Oz and were raising their three children.
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Before the release, Liat's father, Yehuda, expressed his hope and said,“The ultimate greeting that I can pass on to my daughter, are Hebrew words from the Bible,’’ he said adding, “What Moses said to Joshua is to be strong and courageous … and if Liat hears this, she knows that this is my ultimate blessing.”
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'We grew very close to them'
Former executive director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut Jerry Fischer in a statement on Wednesday (Nov 29) wrote,“My Beinin family from Israel spent five days in eastern Connecticut with us this August.”
“We grew very close to them as they walked with us in Harkness Park, dined with us, and shared birthdays with us over lobster in Noank. As soon as we heard of their capture we reached out to our Congressman, Joe Courtney and he did everything possible to keep Liat and Aviv’s capture high on the agenda of the State Department and the US Embassy in Jerusalem. We cannot thank him and his staff enough for their dedication and diligence in the efforts to free the hostages.”
Liat's husband Aviv Atzili is believed to be still held captive by Hamas.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.