They survived 505 days apart. Now they’re telling St. Louis what happened

Avi Holzman, Contributing Writer

Published November 30, 2025

On Dec. 2, Nova Festival survivor Ziv Abud, 28, and her fiancé, former hostage, Eliya Cohen, 28, are sharing “The 505-day Journey,” referring to the amount of time the couple was separated before Cohen’s release on Feb. 22, 2025.

The trip to WashU is the recently engaged couple’s first chance to speak with American college students. Rabbi Hershey Novack, WashU Chabad director, hopes the visit will show Abud and Cohen that campuses in the United States are safer than they may seem online. He believes their story will inspire those who attend.

“They are coming to campus to share what resilience looks like in real life, even in the face of unimaginable hardship,” he said. “This is more than a story; it’s a living lesson in courage, hope and the human spirit.”

Cohen was taken from the Nova Festival and held in Gaza with Eli Sharabi, Alon Ohel, Or Levy and Hersh Goldberg-Polin. When Sharabi was freed on Feb. 8, weeks before Cohen, he told Abud that Cohen thought she had died during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Cohen proposed on Oct. 23, 2025, once all hostages had been safely returned. Novack emphasized Abud’s advocacy to help free Cohen. He hopes the event will resonate with who attend.

“During Eliya’s captivity, we prayed, we marched and worked to free him,” he said. “Now we are honored to welcome him and his fiancée to campus, learn from their strength, and to stand with them as they rebuild their lives.

If you are interested in attending, click here to RSVP. Advanced Registration is required for the event.

The event is hosted by WashU Chabad and the Chabad board several other organizations are also partners for the vent including WashU Student Union, Federation, Stand With us, ACT, ICC, and the Maccabee Task force.