"It is grass with a different green": Sagi Dekel-Chen sang in Nir Oz the songs he wrote in captivity
Sagi Dekel-Chen performed for the first time on the lawn of Kibbutz Nir Oz, presenting nine songs he composed during his 498 days in Hamas captivity. He shared how music served as a vital survival tool during his ordeal.
Sagi Dekel-Chen performed this evening (Monday) in a deeply personal and extraordinary show on the lawn of Kibbutz Nir Oz, as part of the Israel Festival 2026 events in the Western Negev. During the performance, Dekel-Chen debuted nine songs he wrote and composed during the 498 days he was held in Hamas captivity.
The show took place in the very location that Dekel-Chen defines as his home and an inseparable part of his life story. The evening combined his original works with personal stories, featuring guest artists, friends released from captivity, and bereaved family members. Dekel-Chen arranged the songs after his return to Israel alongside music producers Liad Grushka and Idan Shneur.
Ahead of the performance, Dekel-Chen wrote to his audience:
"I am not a singer, I am a father who sings. I never intended to be a singer or to perform."
He shared that during his captivity, music became his primary survival tool:
"What they didn't take, simply because they didn't know, is the real power inside. That which helped me maintain hope, health, and sanity."
According to Dekel-Chen, after several months in captivity, he began creating songs. Since he could not write or play instruments, he memorized the lyrics and imagined the melodies in his head. Just two days after his release on February 15, 2025, he recorded all nine songs on his phone to ensure they would not be lost.
Regarding his choice to hold the first show in Nir Oz, he wrote:
"My first show I will do in Nir Oz, in my home. It is the same lawn on which I ran all my childhood, the lawn where I first met Mili, the one on which I raised two daughters, the lawn on which I fought, and the lawn on which my friends fell. It is grass with a different green."
He emphasized that the evening was not a celebration, but rather a part of the kibbutz's rehabilitation process. He expressed his hope that the event would serve as a foundational stone for the community's new life.
The show is part of the Israel Festival, which marks its 65th anniversary this year. Running from July 28 to August 20 across Jerusalem, the Western Negev, and the north, the festival emphasizes the importance of artistic presence in areas of fracture and healing.
