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.”…