Agam Berger

Agam Berger is an Israeli soldier who was abducted from the Nahal Oz outpost by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel in 2023 and held hostage in Gaza for 482 days. Her captivity and eventual release received widespread media attention in Israel and internationally. During her captivity, Berger intensified her Jewish faith, observing Shabbat and keeping kosher despite pressure and food shortages.

After her release as part of the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Berger actively campaigned for the remaining hostages in Gaza, speaking alongside American elected officials and Jewish leaders and urging the global Jewish community to act for their return. An accomplished violinist, Berger was gifted a 130-year-old violin that belonged to a Holocaust victim and has performed at major commemorative events, including the March of the Living at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Background Berger was born on August 22, 2004. Berger grew up in a fairly secular family in Holon with a twin sister and a brother who celebrated his bar mitzvah during her captivity. She began playing violin at the age of 8. Berger served just one day as a military lookout before her kidnapping. She said her captors were "playing all the time with their guns and their hand grenades", disrespected the women and forced them to clean and prepare food. She added that her captors viewed her religious observance as a positive attribute, even though they viewed the Jewish religion as false. When she and her fellow captives requested Chanukah candles, they were given only one. During Passover, Berger used corn flour and avoided leavened bread.

After Israeli forces rescued Shlomi Ziv, Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, and Almog Meir Jan in June 2024, Berger's captors took away the radio she and her fellow captives used for news. Berger was held with Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy. When the four were released in January 2025, Berger remained behind. Albag requested to stay behind in solidarity with Berger, but the captors refused. Berger's family marked her 20th birthday in her absence with a Kabbalat Shabbat event at the Anu Museum of the Jewish People, featuring musical performances by Jane Bordeaux, Etti Ankri, and Yair Dalal. Berger briefly saw a broadcast of her mother speaking at the event before her captors shut off the television.

Post-release activities Berger braided the hair of some Israeli children who were released from Hamas captivity during the temporary ceasefire in November 2023. After she braided the hair of Israeli female soldiers who were released in January 2025, “Braids for Agam” graphics circulated on social media in Israel and abroad. Events held in her honor included challah-braiding, a dedicated display at a wig store, and El Al women employees braiding their hair.

In May 2025, Berger spoke in New York alongside Mayor Eric Adams, declaring "A Jew is a messenger of hope be messengers of hope for our hostages".

Violinist Miri Ben-Ari, an American-Israeli Grammy winner, invited Berger to perform with her.

At the March of the Living at Auschwitz, Berger played a violin that survived the Holocaust, for an audience that included President Isaac Herzog and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Reflecting on that experience, Berger noted, "On Polish soil, I promised to keep this violin alive and to play the eternal melody of the Jewish people."