October 5, 2026: Held Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience

Dr. Mimi Nichter, Professor Emerita, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona; Author of Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience

Recorded Presentation is available. Click here to view!

Monday, October 5, 2026, 3:00-4:00 pm, Koffler Great Room at ASA and Zoom

In this presentation, Dr. Nichter discusses her experience of being on a flight that was hijacked while returning from a summer spent on an Israeli kibbutz. Armed members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine redirected the plane to a remote desert in Jordan where passengers were held on board for six days in sweltering heat without flushable toilets or running water. Eventually, most passengers were sent home, but Dr. Nichter was falsely accused of being an Israeli soldier and remained a hostage in Amman with a small group of other passengers. She shares this story with our audience and in a published book about her experience.