Five Surprising Facts About Hostage Survivor Avinatan Or
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Avinatan Or, a prominent symbol of the war and a Nova festival hostage, survived 738 days in Hamas tunnels. His name holds deep meaning, and he is also a talented baker and carpenter. His mother only met Noa Argamani, his girlfriend, on the day they were abducted, after Argamani's father had prevented prior meetings.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Avinatan Or, a Nova festival hostage, survived 738 days in Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
- His name, Avinatan Or, translates to "Our Father in Heaven gave" and forms a sentence with his surname.
- Or is a skilled baker and carpenter, having learned from online resources and friends.
- His mother, Ditzah Or, met Noa Argamani for the first time on the day of their abduction.
- Noa Argamani's father had previously prevented her from visiting Or, citing safety concerns.
Avinatan Or, who was abducted from the Nova music festival alongside his then-girlfriend Noa Argamani and held captive in Hamas tunnels in Gaza for 738 days, has become a prominent symbol of the war. Beyond the widely seen abduction video and his eventual reunion with Argamani, several lesser-known personal stories about Or have emerged.
His name, Avinatan Or, is significant. Born in 1993, his mother, Ditzah Or, described his birth as remarkably quick. The name itself, meaning "Our Father in Heaven gave," forms a complete sentence when combined with his surname: "Avi Natan Or" (My father gave light).
Or maintained a close connection with his family, calling his mother almost every Friday before Shabbat. The Friday before October 7th, he did not call, but his mother wasn't concerned as they had met the day prior. He was abducted the following morning from the Nova party, and his family waited 523 days for his first sign of life.
Beyond his work as an engineer at Nvidia and his past military service in the Rimon special forces unit, Or is also a talented baker. His mother recalled a lemon and pistachio pie he baked for her birthday, describing it as professional-grade, made without formal training but by learning from the internet and friends.
Or also possesses a talent for carpentry, having built a bookshelf for his mother. He himself has spoken about the importance of manual labor, listing building alongside his childhood, military service, and engineering studies as formative experiences.
Interestingly, Ditzah Or did not know Noa Argamani until the day of the abduction. The couple had planned to move in together in Tel Aviv in November 2023. Visits to Shiloh, where Argamani was from, were repeatedly canceled at the last minute. Ditzah Or learned about a month after the abduction, during a trip to the US with other hostage families, that Yaakov Argamani, Noa's father, had prevented the visits. He confessed that he had forbidden his daughter from going, deeming Shiloh a dangerous place, a statement Ditzah Or now finds ironic given the Nova festival's location.
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