Tal Hartuv, a survivor of a brutal 2010 terrorist machete attack in the hills outside Jerusalem, is preparing to mark the 15th anniversary of the ordeal next month — as one of her assailants walks free under a hostage exchange with Hamas.
Hartuv, then known as Kay Wilson, was leading a nature tour for her American friend Kristine Luken on Dec. 18, 2010, when two Palestinian terrorists ambushed the women. The attackers bound and gagged them, tormenting them for half an hour before stabbing Luken to death. Hartuv survived by playing dead after being repeatedly slashed with a serrated machete.
In a recent interview with podcaster Alan Skorski, Hartuv detailed the horror and her long road to recovery, chronicled in her memoir The Rage Less Traveled: A Memoir of Surviving a Machete Attack.
“I was forced to my knees while he stabbed me over and over,” Hartuv recalled. “I watched my friend die. Miraculously, I lived.”
The attack left Hartuv with severe physical injuries and PTSD. She later confronted her attackers in court and legally changed her name from Kay Wilson to Tal Hartuv to distance herself from being perpetually labeled a “victim of terrorism.”
“It made my skin crawl,” she said of the constant reminder. “Changing my name let me live as a survivor, not shackled to that day.”
Hartuv’s story has resurfaced amid controversy: One of the convicted terrorists was released from Israeli prison as part of a November 2025 deal to free hostages held by Hamas.
Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, praised Hartuv in a book endorsement: “An ‘ordinary’ woman who resisted terrorists, battled for her life, struggled with appalling injuries and PTSD, confronted her assailants in court, and went on to fight against governments that fund terrorist violence.”
The memoir, called a “must-read” by supporters, is described as both horrific and uplifting.
As the anniversary approaches, Hartuv continues speaking out against terror financing and prisoner releases that free convicted attackers.
-VIN News
