Two years ago, on October 7th, when Hamas militants launched a series of brutal attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, two hundred and fifty men, women and children were captured and taken as hostages back to Gaza.
One of those hostages was an Israeli-American history teacher named Liat Beinin Atzili. Her Israeli husband Aviv was killed in the attack.
The day after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu ordered a massive military assault on Gaza, with the stated goal of destroying Hamas and forcing the return of the hostages.
After 49 days of devastating Israeli bombardments and ground attacks on Gaza – with massive Palestinian casualties -- a temporary ceasefire and the first hostage exchange was arranged. Liat was freed after 54 days in captivity.
A new documentary provides an intimate chronicle of how Liat’s family – including her Israeli-American parents, her sister, and Liat’s three Israeli-born children -- endured those harrowing days, not knowing if Liat or her husband were alive, lobbying desperately in Washington and Jerusalem for a deal to release the hostages.
The film, “Holding Liat,” will be screened tonight at the Jewish Community Center in Owings Mills. The documentary has already been screened and broadcast in Israel; international theatrical distribution, including in the United States, is planned for January, 2026.
Lance Kramer, brother of director Brandon Kramer, is one of the producers of the film.
He joins us now in Studio A…
