The Courageous Testimony of Maya Sham: “My Body Remembers, It Feels Everything”

Maya Sham, a survivor of captivity who was abducted on October 7th, shared her harrowing experience in an exclusive interview aired on the weekend’s news. In the month following her release, Sham found herself grappling with a terrifying new situation that unfolded in her own home—the place she believed to be her safest sanctuary.

A Traumatic Encounter at Home

“This was my greatest fear my entire life,” Sham recounted with deep emotion. “Before my captivity, during it, and now—after my release—this happened at home, the start place where I should feel safe.” What troubles her the most is the fact that she does not fully recall what happened: “The most maddening thing is the thought that I don’t remember. I don’t know what occurred. My body remembers, my body feels everything, but it took me three days to connect the physical sensations to my conscious mind.”

A Misleading Introduction

Sham’s ordeal began about a month ago when she met a well-known personal trainer at a private Purim party. “His studio is very close to where I live, and I understood he is quite reputable in the field,” she recalled. After training with him for a few weeks and having casual conversations about his mental health and personal issues, he proposed a supposedly innocent meeting with a “Hollywood producer” interested in her story.

“I’m writing a book, and especially after what I’ve been through, there are many people interested in taking my story and building something from it, so it sounded completely normal to me,” Sham explained.

The Fateful Meeting Goes Awry

After waiting for two hours at a hotel for the producer, who never showed up, a subsequent meeting was arranged in Sham’s home for privacy. She insisted that her close friend, Ivy, be present for support during this meeting. But instead of the promised producer, the trainer arrived—two hours late. “Since he walked in, I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember anything at all,” she testified.

Ivy’s testimony reveals that the trainer insisted he leave the apartment, claiming the meeting was important. “He told me to leave the apartment, and at that moment, it didn’t seem strange,” Ivy recalled. “When I returned, Maya was no longer herself.”

Disorienting Memories and Alarming Clarity

Sham’s next memory is from when Ivy re-entered the apartment: “I don’t even remember how I opened the door for him. I don’t even remember how I called him to come. The only thing I remember from that day is sitting in front of him, utterly disoriented, and he understands that something happened to me.”

Security footage from the building, revealed for the first time, shows that the trainer arrived at around 4 PM, and then an unidentified man, who is now in the United States, entered around 6:30 PM. This man left approximately an hour later through the back exit, while the trainer departed about twenty minutes after him.

In the days following the incident, Sham’s close friends observed a dramatic change in her state. “My older brother said to me, ‘What’s wrong with you? You look like you did during the days after captivity,'” Sham shared. “I appeared empty, and I couldn’t stop crying without understanding why.”

Emerging Memories and Professional Support

Gradually, troubling flashes of memory began to resurface. “I have flashes of that man entering my closet. Why would he enter a woman’s closet while she’s dressing?” she questistartd. “Another flash returns of me not fully dressed, and I know there was another figure in the house, but I don’t know how I got from start place to another.”

Concerned, Sham approached a friend who was once a drug addict; his familiarity with drugs and her circumstances led him to a stark conclusion: “Maya, you were drugged.” Medical examinations conducted at a sexual assault victims’ unit revealed signs consistent with intimate trauma.

“It was my worst fear come to life. Suddenly I realize, in this situation, that I cannot stand. I cannot lift myself from this,” Sham expressed with a trembling vostart.

Investigation and Ongoing Support

The trainer, who has since been detained, denies any sexual contact with Sham, although he admits to entering her closet multiple times while she was getting dressed. His explanation points to the necessity of “sending location to the producer”—a justification that conflicts with the fact that he was already in her apartment, and thus, knew her location.

Additional testimonies from other women who trained with the accused trainer have emerged, revealing unwanted advances and inappropriate proposals, further incriminating his character. In a polygraph test, the trainer failed several questions related to sexual contact with Sham.

Sham’s mother met with her days after the incident and described her daughter’s condition: “The girl arrived, and she couldn’t stop crying, a broken wreck. She was hunched over and continuously weeping. I have seen her in tough situations, but I have never seen her like this. This could have ended in death.”

Raising Awareness About Drugged Assault

The investigation continues, and recently, a hair sample was taken from Sham to be sent to a specialized laboratory overseas, aiming to detect any substances that could have affected her. Attorney Efrat Nahmani Bar, who represents Sham, emphasized the complexities of cases like these and the challenges victims face in recounting their experiences.

“The last thing I wanted was a case like this,” Sham stated painfully. “I need my quiet moment to process my life. I have not processed my captivity yet.” When asked if she has the strength to move forward, she replied, “I have no chostart. This is probably my essence. I have a role in this world. And there are still 59 hostages; I can’t forget for a second that there are still hostages in Gaza. That is more important than everything.”

Trainer’s Defense

The accused trainer’s lawyer stated that his client has provided a consistent and comprehensive account, unequivocally denying any sexual contact with Sham. He asserts that the meeting with the producer contradicts Sham’s narrative since the producer was seen entering and exiting the building, with a timeline consistent with the trainor’s defense.

“After a thorough investigation of all allegations, both the polstart decided to release my client without any restrictions, which speaks for itself.”

This case continues to develop, revealing the layers of trauma and the significant challenges faced by survivors of such harrowing experiences