Guy Gilboa-Dalal played music in his head — and later sang with his fellow hostages — to stay sane during his two years of captivity in Gaza after being kidnapped from the Nova music festival.

Gilboa-Dalal was one of the last living hostages released under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Now, the 25-year-old and his older brother, Gal, are sharing their experiences through music and storytelling.

The Israeli brothers addressed an audience of more than 100 at the Edlavitch DCJCC Sept. 27 at an event with the nonprofit Art Over Hate Collective, originally called Artists 4 Israel.

Moderated by Craig Dershowitz, CEO of the Art Over Hate Collective, the discussion didn’t shy away from the more difficult parts of the brothers’ story: hiding from Hamas militants in bushes, not knowing which of their loved ones were alive and, for Guy, months spent underground in darkness at the mercy of his captors.

The intimate event also included humorous childhood anecdotes and a playlist of songs that spanned genres and cultures, each with a story to tell.

“This isn’t just to feel sad,” Dershowitz told the audience. “We’re here to celebrate their survival and we’re here to celebrate brotherhood and resilience.”

“We had the best connection as brothers since we were children, and he was my best friend since I was very young,” Guy Gilboa-Dalal said.

Gal added the brothers’ seven-year age difference didn’t matter because they shared the same interests and hobbies.

“Basically, we did everything together when we grew up,” Gal Gilboa-Dalal said.

Guy was the happy-go-lucky, lighthearted counterpart to Gal, the self-described moody teen. Because of the strong bond between the two, Gal was devastated when he learned that his 22-year-old brother had been kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7. Just hours before, they had been dancing with friends and enjoying the music.

“I felt like my whole world just collapsed. I was in total darkness,” Gal said. “It was nothing compared to what my brother went through, and I had no way to help him.”

Gal traveled the United States and the world advocating for his brother’s release.

Meanwhile, Guy spent his first eight months of captivity in an apartment in Gaza, sleeping on a prayer mat and surviving on just one piece of pita a day. Relegated to a corner, he wasn’t allowed to look out the windows or even talk to his fellow hostages.

“I lost my freedom,” he recalled. “I couldn’t decide anything about myself, even the most simplest decisions: when to eat, what I will eat, when I will drink, if I will drink, what to look at, if I can speak, nothing.”

One victory was tricking his captors into turning on the radio one day — Guy said he would translate the Israeli news into Arabic for them. The first song he heard in eight months was “Starlight” by the British rapper Dave.

“I’ll never forget it because it was so emotional,” Guy said. “I always love to hear that song.”

Conditions were worse when Hamas captors took Guy to a tunnel 30 meters underground, where he lived for more than a year. Far removed from the rest of the world, the hostages were allowed to talk to one another.

A group of them sang their favorite songs, mainly rock, all night long. The first song Guy sang was “Time of Dying” by Three Days Grace: “I feel alive when you’re beside me / I will not die, I’ll wait here for you.”

While music was the thing that kept Guy looking forward during captivity, it was difficult for Gal to listen to music. Gal told Dershowitz that he either “hated or related” to the songs he heard.

“There’s something that was always so important in music for me: no matter what happened, I could find comfort in music,” Gal said.

That changed during the more than two years his brother was held hostage.

“I couldn’t find any comfort in music,” Gal said. “I couldn’t enjoy listening to music. Everything I did was with thinking of what my brother’s going through.”

Over time, Gal listened to more and more music, though he still couldn’t find comfort.

“It was songs that helped me feel more connected to [Guy],” he said. “It was mainly songs by Avenged Sevenfold. It’s our favorite band, and their lyrics felt like they described perfectly what we’re going through.”

One line of “Gunslinger” in particular resonated with him: ‘The stars in the night / They lend me their light / To bring me closer to heaven with you,’” Gal said, adding that to him, heaven represented freedom from captivity. “I was always thinking about Guy when I thought about these lyrics.”

Gal floated the idea of getting this lyric tattooed in honor of Guy and the brothers’ favorite band. His sister wasn’t so sure.

Then, Guy relayed a message to his loved ones through two other hostages — Omer Wenkert and Tal Shoham — who were released before him. In a fashion true to himself, Guy’s message included a song specifically for each family member.

He chose “Gunslinger” for his brother, Gal. The song is about a soldier longing to return home to his loved ones. He’d played it in his head “during the darkest times” to continue to fight for survival.

“He sent me the song, and I was so moved by it,” Gal said. “This [came during] probably the most traumatized time that we had as a family ever since Guy was kidnapped.

“I knew from the very beginning, as soon as I heard it, that I want[ed] to have a tattoo of the song, of the lyrics,” Gal said. “I just felt like, ‘I can’t wait to show it to Guy.’ I had to do it for him.”

Gal contacted Healing Ink, a project of the Art Over Hate Collective, which seeks to cover the scars of those affected by mass violence with tattoo art.

“The whole process of Healing Ink is much more than a tattoo,” said Gal, who was inked in a room with dozens of others who shared similar trauma. “It was all very therapeutic for me.”

When he was finally released from captivity, Guy notably didn’t want to listen to music right away.

“Music was a huge part of me my whole life since I was a child,” he explained. “In captivity, it helped me during my toughest time and the worst experience I had.”

He was given a cellphone in the hospital upon his release.

“The first thing I wanted to do, of course, was to download Spotify and hear music,” Guy said. “I really wanted to, but I couldn’t do it. I have to give music this special moment.”

After his medical checks and hospital stay, Guy called his best friend, Evyatar, and they listened to “Buried Alive” by Avenged Sevenfold together.

“Music never sounded so good,” Guy said. “I forgot how music sounded in real life. It was playing in my head for more than two years, and it was so different. I just cried from joy.”

He added that “all music” was special to him, but “Buried Alive” spoke to his situation. “This song was the most special for me by far,” he said.

“I swear the band didn’t know that they wrote the song about captivity, about me. They wrote it about me, and they don’t know it,” Guy joked.

Guy and Gal concluded the program by taking audience questions.

“It’s very powerful listening to the brothers talk,” said Roberta Robbins, who attended the event from Rockville.

“Because you need hope,” her friend, Michael Marks, added.

“Some people would not have hope and would commit suicide in that situation, but other people have that ray of hope,” Robbins said, referring to Guy Gilboa-Dalal’s resilience.

Marks, an attendee from Park City, Utah, reflected on the musical aspect of the event.

“Music was such a powerful part of their life and got them through this,” he said. “That leads me to wonder, what did the other hostages have?”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com