Here Lived
Hana and Mayor Lavee lived in this home. They arrived in Nir Oz in 1957 with the first founding group, the Nir Oz Garin. Hana arrived from Jerusalem, and Mayor from Nahariya. They became a couple in Nir Oz. They were the first to marry in Nir Oz, and their daughter Rachel was the first child born in the kibbutz. Later, Michal, Yael, and Hagit joined the family.
Mayor worked in the garage for years. Hana worked in the irrigated fields and the orchard until she discovered that she had an allergy to citrus fruit. She then started to work in the children’s house, where she cared for the toddlers group. Later she worked with special needs children in the kibbutz, and after that, at the regional school, Ma’aleh Ha-Besor.
Mayor developed juvenile diabetes when he was already a father of four daughters and couldn’t endanger himself with physical work. He began working in the Nir Lat factory laboratory. He had important roles in the kibbutz; among them he was the kibbutz manager.
Hana and Mayor raised their daughters in Nir Oz. Three of them remained in the kibbutz. Michal, Rachel, and Yael raised families in the kibbutz, and Hana and Mayor raised many grandchildren with much joy and pleasure. Later they retired and enjoyed also bringing up their great-grandchildren. Their house was a house full of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, joint meals, joy, and laughter. Mayor passed away in 2018 at the age of 80, and Hana remained in this home, surrounded by her beloved family.
October 7th
Hana was at home with her dog. They heard sirens and entered the safe room together. Dolev and Arbel Yahud, her grandchildren, were concerned and texted to Hana to enter the safe room. Hana says that although she was worried, she had no idea what was happening to everyone. Part of the family wasn’t reachable at all. She was in touch mostly with her daughters, Rachel and Yael, who didn’t live in the kibbutz.
The terrorists entered her home three times, ransacked the house, and looted valuable things, as well as her scooter. They tried to enter the safe room and succeeded in opening the door. Even though they managed to open the door, they didn’t go in. Hana sat on the bed and watched, terrified. She didn’t say a word and calmed the dog who tried to bark. The terrorist left, and to this day, Hana doesn’t know why they didn’t harm her.
At about 3:00 p.m., she was rescued from her home by soldiers of the naval commando, and transferred to the command center. It was there that she heard that the home of her daughter, Michal, had been burned to the ground. She urgently requested that they check what had happened to her. At the command center, she met Sigal, Dolev’s wife, and her grandchildren. From her she understood that Dolev had probably been murdered. She doesn’t remember if at the time she knew that Arbel had been kidnapped.
What Happened Since
On October 7, Hana understood that the chapter of her life in Nir Oz had come to an end. After being evacuated from Nir Oz, she moved to live with her daughter, Rachel. She visited her extended family often at the hotel in Eilat. Today she frequently visits her family members and spends time with them, wherever they are.
In January 2024 she moved to Mish’an Neve Efal, with her friends from Nir Oz. She often visits her family and friends at Karme Gat.
For Hana, the home is connected to the things it held, memories, and beautiful stones that Mayor collected. She misses the friends who are gone, and when possible, she comes to visit.
