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Times of Israel · Gaza · 11 Oct 2026

Israeli victims are on the page, Palestinians are not, the dead are counted, not named, and the dead are labelled, the other side is not.

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Captivity of Aviva and Keith Siegel told onstage with love, humor, fear

Veteran actors Moni Moshonov and Sandra Sade played former hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel in “Love at the Edge of the Tunnel” at Habima National Theater, about the long-married couple who were taken captive on October 7, 2023, from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. The nearly hourlong reading on the eve of the third anniversary of October 7 was full of humor, fear, and grief, as Moshonov and Sade — married in real life — read playwright Michal Aharoni’s script that begins with the Siegels’ shopping trip at a supermarket on the evening of October 6, on their way home from a holiday visit with their children. The play makes its way through the terrifying hours of October 7, when the Siegels were taken hostage in their own car to Gaza, through the first 51 days of their captivity. After Aviva Siegel’s release on November 21, 2023, it jumps through parts of Keith ’s solitary captivity until his release in February 2025. The two actors, both in their mid-70s, captured the distinctive rhythms of the Siegels’ speech: Keith’s more laconic delivery and Aviva’s sometimes nervous, staccato cadence. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The play reviewed Aviva’s work as a kindergarten teacher, talked about Keith’s American Quaker schooling where he “learned to love people,” even poking fun at his “mindfulness,” his attempts to meditate and to stay healthy while held captive. US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, right, reunites with his wife Aviva shortly after being released from captivity in Gaza, February 1, 2025. (IDF) After Aviva’s release from Gaza, her character jokes about what to wear to meet US President Joe Biden in the White House, when she visits as part of her struggle to get Keith released, and the thick, quilted toilet paper in the residence’s bathroom. The play, part of a memorial project to remember the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, was staged on October 6 and 7 in front of a small, packed and appreciative audience. Advertisement After the standing ovation on Tuesday night, the Siegels, Moshonov, Sade, Aharoni and project initiator Eytan Schwartz gathered onstage. PR diplomacy expert Eytan Schwartz, far left, playwright Michal Aharoni, second from right, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, director Ealeal Semel (third from right), actors Sandra Sade and Moni Moshonov, far right, at discussion following reading of play about Aviva and Keith Siegel on October 6, 2026 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel) The onstage gathering was something of a who’s who in Israel’s theater world; Moshonov and Sade are prominent theater and screen actors, while director Ealeal Semel is the daughter of theater executive Noam Semel and the late playwright Nava Semel, who was the sister of singer-songwriter Shlomo Artzi. Moshonov and Sade were also active in the struggle to bring the hostages home. “When we met Aviva and Keith, we returned home on a cloud because we met people like this,” said Sade. “We live in a nation with these kinds of amazing people.” Moshonov added: “You think about people who were there and aren’t here and it pains the heart. Every opportunity to remember is crucial.” Keith and Aviva Siegel at a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on September 13, 2025. (Uriel Even Sapir/Hostages and Missing Families Forum) Schwartz said he hopes the successful performances will lead to a full production. Advertisement Schwartz, a public diplomacy expert who led the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality’s international affairs division and is working on projects that document October 7, including the 2024 film “Screams Before Silence” about the sexual violence committed by Hamas and fronted by Sheryl Sandberg, had the idea of using theater for public diplomacy. He contacted Aharoni, who’d written a one-man show about Shlomo Ron , an older man who saved his family on October 7 by sacrificing himself to the terrorists, and they met with the Siegels for hours in their Kibbutz Gazit home. The reading then came together within several weeks, as Moshonov and Sade agreed to play the roles of the couple taken captive. The play was performed for the public last week, and Schwartz hopes to launch a full production at Habima, and then show it to international audiences. He has another playwright working on a screenplay about former hostage Omer Wenkert. Schwartz’s eventual hope is to make “Love at the Edge of the Tunnel” into a major feature film, using it as a vehicle to portray the October 7 Hamas attack. “It would be a vehicle that would educate a generation of people,” said Schwartz, “much like [Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film] ‘Schindler’s List’ helped shape attitudes about the Holocaust.” Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Flydubai passengers said preparing huge class-action suit against airline, governments 2 Transcript reportedly captures PM’s top aide asking stenographer to falsify Oct. 7 records 3 Iran said still able to produce missiles and drones, is being armed by Russia 4 At least 12 killed, more than 300 hurt in Houthi attack on Riyadh airport 5 Biden-era official says Netanyahu delayed Gaza deal in 2024 by adding conditions 6 Joint Arab List says it’s willing to provide safety net for any anti-Netanyahu coalition 7 Red Cross chief says earlier pressure for hostage releases ‘could have saved more lives’ 8 One in five Israelis ‘still struggling to function’ since Oct. 7 – new study read more: Israel Inside Aviva Siegel Keith Siegel Habima Theater Hamas hostages If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. 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