Here Lived
Roee Munder (Royo).
Son of Ruti and Avraham. Born on Lag Ba’Omer, May 20, 1973. Younger and only brother to Keren. Uncle to Ohad Munder Zichri.
A warm and beloved family member, an inseparable part of the lives of his loved ones. Roee showed up whenever anyone in the family needed him.
Roee was thrilled with his role as uncle and formed a special relationship with Ohad, based on mutual areas of interest, such as games, sports, and technology. Roee was also an honorary uncle to his cousins’ and friends’ children.
Roee was open-minded and curious. His interest in sports served as a gateway to other fields of knowledge: history, geography and culture, archeology, art and film. Roee had an excellent memory for details, names, places, and dates.
Royo was a devoted and dedicated sports fan, and was a member of the Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball fan club, and Maccabi Netanya and Liverpool football fan club. Being part of these clubs brought him joy and a sense of meaning, and he accompanied the teams both in Israel and around the world.
Royo enjoyed watching games and live performances, and loved expressing praise and appreciation for local performers.
Liverpool fans even adopted a new verb in his name – “to Munder”, which meant to turn any occasion, whether big or small, into a large and significant event.
No place was too far for Roee to travel to visit his family and friends. He always arrived with a huge smile on his face, ready to talk, argue, or banter. With a camera in hand, wearing colorful clothes and special hats, he was always ready to raise a glass of whisky.
Roee was big-hearted, and while he knew how to ask for help, he preferred to give of himself to those around him. He was sensitive and open to meeting new people, giving a real chance to everyone, regardless of their age and opinion.
Roee studied to become an electrician and worked on the kibbutz and in the Nir Lat factory. Whenever someone had an electricity problem, Roee would drop everything and come to fix it, no matter the hour, whether day or night, anything to be of help to his community or workplace, and always with an emphasis on quality and safety.
Roee continued his studies in cloud communication systems and was looking for work in the field, hoping to create a new beginning for himself.
October 7th
On that horrific Saturday of October 7, it all came to an abrupt ending. At 7:58 a.m., Roee sent a message to one of his groups saying, “Hiding in my safe room.”
We were astonished to see that even as the horrors were taking place, Roee, as usual, was connected to the internet, understood what was going on, and expressed himself with his usual sharpness and wit, remaining true to himself.
Until the terrible ending.
What Happened Since
Roee was brutally murdered in front of his burning home, and we were left with only small parts of him and with wonderful memories of his entire life.
Roee was laid to rest in Kibbutz Metzer, while his parents, sister, and nephew were still held hostage in Gaza. In November 2023, after 49 days in captivity, his mother, sister, and nephew were released.
In August 2024, with the return of his father, who was murdered in Hamas captivity, Roee was buried once again, and this time next to his father, Avraham Munder, in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
