Current sectionArt & CultureSagui Dekel Chen performed before 3,000 people at Kibbutz Nir Oz as part of the Israel Festival. On the surface, the evening offered a simple story with a happy ending. The reality is far more complexShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeBen Shalev12:21 PM • August 13 2026 IDTSagui Dekel Chen decided to hold Monday evening's show shortly after returning from Hamas captivity in February 2025. How short? His wife, Avital, recounted on stage that he informed her of his decision during their first phone call after he returned to his former life. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Music in IsraelHamas hostagesOctober 7KibbutzimIsraeli cultureCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesIranWest BankMinnesotaMissing in Vienna GazaSecret Cruise MissileSettler Violence HaQuizHaaretz PodcastNew Eurovision Rule Change Could Prevent Israel From Hosting in the FutureIsraelis Don't Dance to Forget What They've Committed. Sometimes They Just DanceShe Documents Settler Arson Attacks: 'This Fire Will Be Turned Against Us Too'When Tourists Were Still Coming Here: A Tour of Israel's Hotels 70 Years AgoThis Gay Jewish Dutch Writer Was Repulsed by Zionism. It Cost Him His LifeRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI50 Years Ago, a Young Israeli Was Crowned the Most Beautiful Woman in the WorldIsrael's Leading Philosopher on Manipulation, Morality and the Future of ZionismWho Is Rebeca Grynspan, the Jewish Frontrunner to Become the Next UN Chief?'I Saw Pictures of Dead Kids. In the Army They Told Us We Only Kill Terrorists'Phones of Missing Israeli Mother, Daughter Last Traced Near Vienna Train StationIsrael Elections: How to Actually Read the Polls