Yaakov Bentolila
Kfar Maimon
Grandfather of Oded Abergel, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7th
“I was born in 1935 in Tétouan, Spanish Morocco. I made Aliyah (immigrated) to Israel through the ‘Youth Aliyah’ movement. I lived in the kibbutzim of Yavneh and Lavi and later in Jerusalem. In 1966, I moved with my family to the western Negev, to the moshav of Kfar Maimon – a community of virtuous, deeply rooted people with a strong sense of mutual responsibility.
On October 7th, we were not at home. Our village was spared, but the residents were evacuated to hotels in Jerusalem. That’s how we found ourselves as refugees for nearly half a year until we were able to return to our homes.
The disaster touched our family. My grandson, Oded, was murdered at the Nova music festival.
He was 27 years old, loved horseback riding, dancing, and had a heart of gold and a generous spirit. He was incredibly skilled with his hands, an amazing handyman, so he volunteered to help build one of the stages at the Nova festival site. For an entire week, we didn’t know what had happened to him. It was a terrible feeling of helplessness and torment that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Tragically, after about a week, his body was identified among the victims of the festival. We later learned that Oded quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. Thinking not of himself but of others, he helped save some of his close friends, guiding them over the phone to abandon their car and escape through the fields.
Despite the tragedy, I remain optimistic. The Jewish history moves like a pendulum. Right now, we are swinging in a negative direction, but I am convinced that we will recover and grow stronger from the events of October 7th.”