Here Lived
Tammar Goren lived in this home. In Nir Oz, everyone calls her Tammi. Tammi moved to Nir Oz in 1991 after marrying Roni Goren. They had three children: Amit, Shira, and Shani.
Over the years, Tammi worked in various jobs on the kibbutz: in the kibbutz kitchen, in the laundry room, in education, in the commune, and in the kibbutz store. She also worked for a period of time in the lab at the Nirlat factory. Later on, Tammi and Roni separated, and Tammi remained in the house.
Tammi loves to sing. She often sang in kibbutz ceremonies, holiday celebrations, and events, such as the “Summer Cafe”, which was held outside the dining room, where she sang alongside Vitaly Troufanov z”l and Maya Goren z”l.
October 7th
On October 6, Tammi had dinner at home with her daughters, Shira and Shani. She then decided to sleep at her boyfriend’s house that night. Shira stayed at Tammi’s house for the night, while Shani went back to her own house.
On Saturday morning, Tammi woke up to the sound of sirens in Be’er Sheva, and quickly understood that something unusual was happening in the south. She spoke with all her children. Her son, Amit, was not on Nir Oz and was called to reserve duty that morning.
Tammi learned from them and from television news reports that terrorists had infiltrated Nir Oz. The terrorists entered Tammi’s house, but didn’t break into the safe room, where Shira had taken cover. Shira survived.
Tammi was in touch with both of her daughters throughout the morning. She understood that the two couldn’t leave their houses in order to be together. Tammi asked someone else on the kibbutz to check what was going on at Shani’s house and was told that no one was there, and there were no signs of violence in the home.
It was only on the following day that Tammi learned that her daughter Shani had been kidnapped to Gaza.
What Happened Since
Tammi was evacuated from Nir Oz to a hotel in Eilat with the rest of the community.
Shani was released from captivity and returned to Israel on the 55th day of the war as part of the November 2023 agreement. In December 2023, Tammi moved to Kfar HaMaccabiah to be with her children and support Shani in her rehabilitation. They later moved to Karme Gat, where Tammi lives today alongside Shani and Amit.
Amit and his fiancée, Nofar, married in September 2025 in a wedding that had originally been scheduled to take place in October 2023. When Amit and Nofar had a baby girl, Tammi became a grandmother for the first time.
