A Memory That Refuses to Fade: The People of Nir Oz

On October 7, 117 members of Kibbutz Nir Oz were either murdered or kidnapped, including children, infants, men, and women. Nearly every home was looted and burned, and no family in the community was spared from grief. Yet even in the aftermath of such devastation, the people of Nir Oz are searching for strength and meaning through initiatives of rebuilding, memory, and mutual support.

Turning Pain into Purpose

Hadar Rubin, whose parents live in Nir Oz, has become one of the central figures supporting the community’s recovery. She recalls the terrifying hours her parents endured on that day.
“They were locked inside their safe room for six hours. They understood they could not stay there any longer, so they climbed out through a window and hid for hours,” she says. “They survived, but they were never the same afterward.”

Although Hadar does not live in the kibbutz herself, she chose to dedicate her time to helping Nir Oz rather than seeking new employment after being laid off due to the war. Since then, she has been deeply involved in fundraising efforts and in launching projects designed to support the community emotionally and socially.

One of the most moving initiatives she led was the “Grandmothers’ Trip to Paris,” inspired by the emotional struggles of her mother and her friends.

From the Grandmothers' Trip to Paris initiative

“We raised donations from the Jewish community in Paris and took a group of women for a week,” Hadar explains. “They were between 73 and 86 years old, many of them widows and survivors. They were hosted with incredible warmth by the local community.” The trip became a source of comfort, dignity, and renewed connection for women who had endured profound loss.

The women in Paris

Poetry, Memory, and What Remains

Hadar has worked closely with Tala Zilberman on many projects. Through this partnership, she developed a deep connection with the family of Amiram Cooper z"l, a resident of Nir Oz who was kidnapped during the Hamas attack. Cooper, an economist and poet, left behind a body of writing that now feels painfully prophetic. His poems describe quiet moments before catastrophe, as though he sensed what was to come.

Amiram Cooper z"l

Hadar shares one of his verses:
“Calm, like the silence before the storm.
Innocent, like the moment before the burn.
No sign yet of the coming tempest.
The ground is still not aflame.”

Together with Shahar Vahev, a photographer from the kibbutz who documented Nir Oz extensively before the war, Hadar helped create visual exhibits that combine Vahev’s photographs with Cooper’s poetry. These works have become powerful memorials, preserving the beauty of the community and the voice of a man who never returned.

Ravit Nochomovitz, Cooper’s daughter, describes her father as a man who deeply loved words. He was both an economist and a prolific writer, and he even published several books.
“It is unbearable that my parents were kidnapped at such a late stage in their lives,” she says. Her mother was eventually released, but her father remained in captivity until his death. The family has since created a calendar featuring his poetry, finding meaning in continuing to share his voice while also emphasizing the urgent need to bring all captives home.

Rebuilding, With Hope and Pain

Hadar speaks with deep emotion when she looks at photographs of Nir Oz as it once was. The green fields, the calm paths, the sense of home now feel painfully distant. Yet she emphasizes that none of the community’s efforts happen in isolation.
“There is no way we could have done this alone,” she says. “The support from kibbutz members and alumni across the world has been extraordinary.”

After the harvest in Nir Oz (Photo: Shahar Vahev)

Reconstruction has already begun. Homes are being rebuilt, and plans are underway to welcome residents back. New families are expected to arrive this summer, offering hope for renewal. Still, for many, true healing remains impossible while hostages remain in captivity.
As Ravit says clearly, Nir Oz will only be able to truly recover when every captive returns home.