Authentic Voices | In Memoriam
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IN MEMORIAM
The unfathomable number of victims of the October 7 attacks can be hard to comprehend. This selection of stories provides a look into the people whose lives were cut short. We encourage you to explore them and reflect on how the stories and their themes can be introduced to your learners.
Note: All stories connected to the October 7 Massacre have disturbing and traumatic elements, of varying degrees. We recommend previewing any content before sharing.
A collection of stories of individuals who lost their lives during the Hamas onslaught on October 7.
December 31, 2023 | 28 min 56 seconds
One of the first big stories of the war, in that initial crazy week after October 7, was that of 30-year-old Sagi Golan from Herzliya—a decorated officer in an anti-terrorism unit, who was killed in action in Be’eri in the early hours of October 8th. His story made headlines because Sagi was supposed to have married his partner, Omer Ohana, two weeks later, and his death brought to the fore—once again—the matter of the army and LGBTQ rights. Though the IDF has recognized same-sex partners of fallen soldiers as being eligible for full financial and emotional support since the mid-1990s, the matter had never been enshrined in law. So in the weeks after Sagi’s death, Omer led a successful campaign to legally secure the rights of same-sex and common law partners of fallen soldiers.
October 21, 2023
Awad Darawshe, a 23-year-old paramedic from the Galilee, remained at the Nova Music Festival after other paramedics departed, believing he would be safe because he spoke Arabic. He was shot while treating patients. This article describes these events and shares his life and legacy.
Content Warnings: Non-graphic written mentions of violence and death.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues—a partner of The iCenter—has collected stories and resources about Arab citizens of Israel during and after the October 7 massacre. You can access this story and more here.
December 4, 2023 | 20 min 48 seconds
As of early December 2023, more than 400 Israeli soldiers were killed in the war. Each one of those deaths not only marks the end of a life but also shatters a family, a community, a tribe. And that ripple effect, that communal grieving, was palpable following the death of reservist Yossi Heshkovitz, the 44-year-old principal of the Religious Zionist Pelech School for Boys in Jerusalem, who was killed on Friday, November 10th. Like Yossi, his dear friend and colleague Shalom Weil, has devoted his life to education. For this episode, Shalom speaks not about his admirable work, but rather about his soulmate, Yossi, who had replaced him as the Principal of the Pelech School for Boys.
November 13, 2023
More than five weeks after the October 7 massacre, DNA helps identify remains of the Canadian-born peace activist, whose son has lobbied for a ceasefire as war rages.
Ha’aretz is meticulously working to compile and authenticate the names of those who were killed in the assault on October 7, as well as those who have lost their lives since. They continuously update this site with the names of individuals whose lives were cut short.
November 2, 2023
Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, 33, from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat was killed in northern Gaza. He was one of the first IDF soldiers to enter Kibbutz Be’eri, and Times of Israel includes excerpts from his interviews about his experiences there.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues—a partner of The iCenter—has collected stories and resources about Arab citizens of Israel during and after the October 7 massacre. You can access this story and more here.
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