Shomo Ron (z”l) was a founding member of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. He lived on the kibbutz for 65 years, and he and his wife, Hannah, raised their three children there. Shlomo was a regular guy, working the fields and keeping busy in the kibbutz’s metal workshop.
Shlomo, 85, was a man of the earth, a Zionist through and through. Nothing could break him. He never broke during the tough period of the 1950s when the kibbutz was first established. He never broke when the Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency invaded the kibbutz fields, aiming to cause damage to the western Negev’s agriculture. Nor did he break during the Six Day War, when he defended the kibbutz against the Egyptian army. And his spirit never broke during rounds of battles in Gaza, and under the threat of missiles and tunnels.
For all those years, Shlomo clung to his home, and to the land and kibbutz he loved so much, and never gave up faith that one day peace would come. Nor did Shlomo’s spirit break that fateful morning of October 7, when the sirens wailed continuously, and terrorists surrounded his house.
On that Saturday morning, his wife, two daughters and a grandson went into the home’s protective space. But Shlomo went out into the living room where the terrorists found him. Before entering Shlomo’s home, the terrorists riddled the house with bullets from the outside, then they went inside and murdered Shlomo in cold blood.
When other terrorists entered the house and saw his bloodied lifeless body in the living room, they assumed he was an older, childless man living alone, and never searched for anyone else. That is how Shlomo’s family, hiding in the safe room for hours, survived the horrors of October 7.
Shlomo’s deep love for his family gave him the courage to do what he could to save them, even if it meant giving his life to ensure they lived.
So many kibbutzes near the Gaza border were hit hard on October 7, with residents killed, injured and kidnapped, and homes and structures severely damaged and burned. The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror (FVOT), often the first responder for families and individuals impacted by terror, has been distributing immediate grants within 24-48 hours of a direct attack, offering support for short-term needs and helping with long-term rehabilitation and post-trauma care.
The Fund is made possible by the generosity of the Jewish Federations of North America / United Israel Appeal, Keren Hayesod, foundations and donors worldwide and people like you. Our aid is critical for victims’ immediate well-being and long-term recovery and we are currently operating and supporting more victims on a wider scale than ever before. To support the Fund, donate here.
