Ex-Hostage Bar Kupershtein Honored by Beitar Jerusalem Fans at Teddy Stadium | WATCH

In a heartwarming moment that brought tears to thousands, Bar Kupershtein, a 22-year-old survivor of over two years in Hamas captivity, returned to Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium for the first time since his abduction on October 7, 2023.

The avid Beitar Jerusalem fan was greeted like a hero on the pitch before the team's match against Maccabi Petah Tikva, with nearly 30,000 supporters erupting in chants and applause under the floodlights.

Kupershtein, who was off-duty from his IDF service in the Nahal Brigade's 932nd Battalion when Hamas terrorists stormed the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, was one of six hostages freed in a dramatic prisoner exchange on October 13, 2025.

Shrapnel from a Hamas gunman's bullet during the massacre injured his right eye, but he endured 738 days in Gaza's tunnels and cells, emerging resilient and grateful.

His release was part of a broader deal that also brought back other captives, including civilians and soldiers, amid ongoing ceasefire talks.

Beitar Jerusalem FC announced Kuperstein's surprise visit on social media earlier that day, posting in Hebrew: "Kupershtein, come here! We're thrilled to host tonight the captivity survivor and our fan, Bar Kuperhstein, who will join the big madness of Teddy and be on the field before kickoff. Waiting for you in the stands, Bar! "

The club, known for its passionate, right-leaning fanbase, turned the pre-game ceremony into a symbol of national solidarity, with Kuperstein walking onto the grass amid yellow-and-black flares and the roar of "Bar! Bar! Bar!"

Videos circulating on X (formerly Twitter) captured the electric atmosphere: Fans waved Israeli flags, sang anthems for the hostages, and held up signs reading "Welcome Home, Hero." Kuperstein, beaming in a Beitar jersey, raised his arms in triumph, later sharing a heartfelt embrace with team captains. One clip showed him making a heart gesture to the stands, echoing similar moments from his hospital window days after release, where he and fellow freed hostage Rom Braslavski waved to well-wishers below.

A Fan's Journey Through Horror

Kupershtein's story is one of unyielding spirit. Abducted amid the chaos that killed 364 people at the festival, he spent his 23rd birthday in captivity last year, marked by his father, Tal, with a public gathering at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Tal, who learned to stand and speak after a stroke during his son's ordeal, was among the first to embrace Bar upon his return, in a viral video that showed the wheelchair-bound dad rising to hug his boy.

Post-release, Kupershtein has become a beacon for the "Bring Them Home" movement. On October 28, he made his first public speech at Hostages Square, thanking the nation: "I don’t have words to describe the love, what you did for me and the others." His grandmother, Faina, joined him, tearfully adding gratitude for the prayers that sustained them.

Just days later, on October 31, he led a massive tefillin-laying event at the square, sharing how hearing his captors pray in Arabic inspired him to pray "with more fervor" for freedom.

Discharged from Sheba Medical Center on October 20 alongside fellow hostage Segev Kalfon, Kupershtein returned to his Holon home on November 2, where neighbors lined the streets in celebration.His commander from the Nahal Brigade visited him in the hospital on October 17, delivering a brigade-wide hug over the phone: "I’m happy we succeeded."

Even in Gaza, Kupershtein's love for Beitar endured, reports from his family suggest he hummed club chants to stay strong.

Beitar's gesture also highlights the club's role in fostering unity, its ultras, often divisive, rallied around Kupershtein as a "brother in yellow and black." Kupershtein later told reporters outside the stadium: "This is home. The fans' energy... it's what kept me going."

The match ended in a 2-1 Beitar win, but the real victory was etched in the cheers for a young man who turned nightmare into inspiration.