Here Lived
Lena shares: This was our home, Lena and Vitaly Trufanov.
In August 1999, we arrived at the kibbutz from Russia, along with Sasha – our only son. We came through the “First Home in the Homeland”, which is a kibbutz-based Aliyah and absorption program for new young immigrant families, and found a true home here in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Lena works as a quality control team leader at the Nir Lat factory based on the kibbutz, and Vitaly worked at Yaham, a regional agricultural cooperative. Both of us love animals and to this day, I continue to feed and care for the kibbutz cats.
October 7th
On October 7, we were in our house when terrorists broke in. They took Vitaly outside to make him start his car, and I never saw him again after that. I, Lena, was abducted from my home to Gaza. At the same time, in a different part of the kibbutz, my son Sasha, his girlfriend Sapir, and my mother Irina were also abducted to Gaza.
What Happened Since
On October 17, Vitaly’s body was identified, and he was buried without his family, as we’d all been abducted to Gaza. My mother Irina and I returned on November 29, 2023, after 54 days in captivity. Sapir returned on November 30, 2023. Sasha returned on February 15, 2025. It was only when he returned that he discovered that Vitaly was gone.
The family currently resides in temporary housing at Kfar Ha’Maccabiah.
