Here Lived
This was the home of Arie Zalamanowicz (85), where he lived alone ever since the death of his wife, Ruth, many years earlier. Zalman, as everyone called him and as he referred to himself, was one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. had two sons and five grandchildren. Agriculture always played a central role in his life. His main expertise was growing wheat in the challenging climate of the Negev desert. Zalman liked to talk about history and about the land, utilizing his extensive knowledge, and he had an impressive stamp collection. He was honest, modest, independent, idealistic, and hard-working, and did not often show his emotions. For Zalman, the kibbutz was the fulfillment of his life’s work and his home, and the community was his family.
October 7th
On the morning of Saturday, October 7, Zalman awoke to the Red Alert sirens at 6:29 a.m. He was able to speak with his family several times, and he told them what was going on (from his own perspective at the time). He even managed to make himself a cup of coffee, which remained in the safe room as a silent witness. At around 10:00 a.m., terrorists broke into his home, forcing their way into the safe room where they beat Zalman in the head with a club. They then held a gun to his head, telling him to choose whether to die on the spot or be taken hostage. Zalman, despite his advanced age and poor health, chose life and decided to get on the motorcycle with the terrorists, who took him to Gaza.
What Happened Since
At first, though with great difficulty, Zalman somehow managed to survive in captivity, with no medications or food. After an agonizing forty days, the lack of adequate treatment cost him his life. Zalman was held together with hostages from Nir Oz and other places, who later shared with his family the horrifying story of Zalman’s final days. We can only hope that his loneliness and suffering were somewhat lessened by the presence of others.
In October 2025, after 749 days in the hands of Hamas, Zalman was returned to Israel. The very ground that he had plowed all his life, on his home in Nir Oz, was there for him one final time as it received his body and he was laid to eternal rest.
