Here Lived
Micha and Hana Cohen lived in this home.
Micha was born in April 1948 at Kibbutz Ein Dor. He grew up in Ramat Gan and came to Nir Oz with the “Miran” group in 1969, after completing his military service. From his very first visit, he was captivated by the place. Over the years, he worked in a variety of roles, in field crops, as a driver, and in the kitchen.
Hana Cohen-Fialkov was born in March 1950 in Tel Aviv, grew up in a traditional Jewish home, and moved to Nir Oz for love. She studied education at Bar Ilan University and spent nearly thirty years as a special education teacher at the Nitzanei Eshkol regional school. After retiring, she served on the kibbutz’s education committee and education council.
Hana and Micha had two children on the kibbutz, Inbal, from Ashalim group, and Avner, from Dekel group. Over the years Hana and Micha moved between three homes in Nir Oz, settling into this one in 2011. A large collection of Hanukkah menorahs, a signature feature of the home, lined the living room wall. The Cohen family loved celebrating holidays, especially Shavuot with its fresh produce and Hana’s famous cheesecake, and Hanukkah with dreidel games, candle lighting, and latkes.
At the center of the living room stood a bookcase and Micha’s record collection, filled with Israeli folk songs, light music, and jazz. The house saw both quiet days of listening to records, reading books and newspapers and doing crossword puzzles, and lively days when the grandchildren and Hana’s students would fill every corner with commotion and light.
October 7th
At around 9:00 a.m., Hamas terrorists broke through the front door and tried to force their way into the safe room, but failed. Two more groups of terrorists entered afterward and remained for hours, looting and causing destruction, shouting and cursing. Locked inside, Hana and Micha had no way of knowing the full scale of the disaster unfolding around them. At 4:30 p.m., IDF soldiers arrived to get them out, and on the way to the emergency coordination center, they saw the kibbutz in flames – trees, homes, and skies black with smoke. As they reunited with other survivors, the true dimensions of what had happened began to sink in.
What Happened Since
Hana and Micha now live in Kiryat Gat, but Nir Oz remains their home. They were active in the fight for the return of the hostages, and Micha stood out every day in every weather in Kiryat Gat’s square with other Kibbutz members advocating for the release of the hostages. Hana and Micha are waiting for the day Nir Oz is rebuilt and everyone comes home.
