Woman Held Hostage by Hamas Speaking in Bozeman on May 16th

Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, were among the first hostages to be freed back in October 2023. 

It was October 7th, 2023, Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, were in Israel celebrating the Jewish holidays and their grandmother’s birthday when the unimaginable happened. Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel, murdering 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, including holocaust survivors and babies. Judith and Natalie were kidnapped from kibbutz Nahal Oz and were among the first hostages to be freed 13 days later. 

On the morning of the attacks, Raanan was awoken by a call from her mother, with a warning not to leave the house. As Raanan walked toward her daughter's room, a rocket struck the bedroom she had just left. After hearing gunfire and Arabic outside, Raanan only had a brief moment to warn her daughter not to panic when heavily armed terrorists burst through the door. 

“We are honored to have Judith come and speak with the Bozeman community” said Rabbi Chaim Bruk, Spiritual Leader of Chabad Lubavitch and organizer of the event, “Judith, and each of the hostages, have a story to tell, and we are determined to hear, and share, their incredible stories of resilience,” Bruk said. 

October 7th was the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust and former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have recognized it as such. There still are 59 hostages being held by Hamas, though many of them are believed to have been murdered. 

Judith will be in Bozeman on May 16th and speaking to the community over Shabbat dinner at the Chabad Lubavitch Center for Jewish Life and Learning located at 1610 Ellis Street Unit 2B. The event is open to the community at large, no membership or affiliation necessary, but registration is required at www. JewishMontana.com/Hostage.