Liz Hirsh Naftali, Hostage Advocate & Podcast Host

“I had no idea how to move the entire American federal government amid an unprecedented geopolitical mess, but I knew that America was still the most powerful force on earth.”

Liz Hirsh Naftali, Hostage Advocate & Podcast Host, shared the story behind her title with us on October 23, 2024.

Of the interview, our founder and host, Sue Rocco, says: “Listen in as I sit down with Liz to discuss the horrific personal experience she and her family faced on October 7, 2023, during the invasion of Israel by Hamas Terrorists. Liz’s life forever changed that day as her relatives were murdered and she became dedicated to rescuing her three-year-old niece, Abigail, from Gaza.”

Liz Hirsh Naftali is the great-aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, a three-year-old who was held hostage in Gaza for fifty-one days. Abigail was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from her community, Kfar Aza, after her parents were both murdered in front of her by Hamas terrorists.

In the wake of that attack, Naftali became a fervent advocate working for the release of the hostages. Even after Abigail’s release on November 26, 2023, she remains dedicated to working for all those who remain in captivity in Gaza. Liz is author of “Saving Abigail: The True Story of the Abduction and Rescue of a Three-Year-Old Hostage”.

Liz is also businesswoman and the host and creator of The Capitol Coffee Connection podcast, a platform where she invites prominent, diverse leaders to talk about the common thread that binds us all together—our shared experiences, stories, and the very essence of our heart and humanity—leaving out politics and policy.

She was raised in Los Angeles where Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam were an important part of her upbringing. Her father, Stanley Hirsh, was the publisher of the Jewish Journal, president of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and chairman of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. Her mother, Anita Hirsh, was a leader in the Soviet Jewry movement and Jewish Family Service in Los Angeles. Naftali is the mother of five children and has lived between Israel and the US since 1992.