Bar Abraham Kupershtein was working at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded southern Israel. Only 21 at the time, Kupershtein’s family explained that he had been evacuating those wounded by the terrorists, and had returned to the site to aid more people a fourth time when terrorists abducted him.
At one point, he was able to fight off terrorists with a gun he took from a police officer murdered at the Re’im site, according to Jewish Insider.
"He was the one who evacuated the wounded under fire to save lives at the Nova party. He was the one who went back again and again, just to save one more person,” Kupershetin’s brother told the Knesset committee in February. "But the moment he needed help, there was no one there to save him.”
The family learned of Kupershtein’s fate after finding pictures of him tied up by terrorists circulating on Telegram.
Bar Kupershtein's history of heroics
Before his abduction, Kupershtein lived in Holon and worked as a paramedic. He supported his family financially after his father suffered a stroke and was left unable to work.
After Kupershtein’s abduction, his father, Tal, began intense work with a speech therapist to regain his ability to talk so that he could advocate for his son, Jewish Insider reported. Tal had also once worked as a paramedic and had reportedly inspired his son.
"Five years ago I was injured in a car accident, while volunteering at United Hatzalah, on my way to save the life of a four-year-old girl. After the accident, I underwent seven surgeries, and in the last surgery I had a stroke,” Tal told Knesset in April. “Since then I haven't spoken or walked, and I am a caregiver. From the age of 16, Bar ran the falafel business, which I opened just two months before the accident, and supported the family. He moved in with my parents, so that my caregiver would have a place to sleep."
Now 23, Kupershtein has spent over two years in Hamas captivity. Released hostages confirmed in February that he was still alive despite the harsh conditions imposed on those abducted by Hamas.
In July, Kupershtein appeared in a Hamas propaganda video alongside Maxim Herkin. They described being kept 30 meters underground.
His friends say that he is a person you should trust; funny, strong and brave, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum shared. He loves Trans Music and has dreams of international travel and studying.
Kupershtein is the oldest of five siblings and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.
Rumors circulated in June that the IDF had successfully rescued Kupershtein, though these were proven false. His family decried the fake news, and stressed that it caused them significant pain.