Gadi was born on November 28th, 1950, at Kibbutz Ein HaShofet to Zionist parents who had made aliyah from the United States. From the age of three, he showed remarkable talent for playing the flute, as if he had been born with it in his mouth.
Gadi was raised in the Hashomer Hatzair kibbutz culture and later enlisted in Sayeret Shaked, where he faced the harsh realities of combat. There he realized that war and violence were not for him and that he had to return to his true calling: music. He auditioned for the IDF Orchestra and was accepted as its principal flutist.
After completing his military service, he traveled to the United States, where he fell in love with jazz. After a few years, he returned to the kibbutz, where he met Judih, who had come to volunteer there. Gadi and Judih fell in love and decided to form a jazz band. They formed the band Jazz Union and embraced a life of music, art and freedom. When it became clear that the band couldn’t sustain them financially, they settled in Kibbutz Nir Oz in 1994, where they raised their four children.
Gadi studied at the Tadmor Cooking School and became the kibbutz’s head chef. He loved sports and every morning, walked with his wife, rode his bicycle, and maintained a healthy diet and lifestyle. He loved Judih with all his heart; their partnership remains an inspiration to their children and everyone around them.
In a striking moment of foresight, Gadi recorded a song in the 1980s titled “Big Man” that reflected on the horrors of the First Lebanon War and the helplessness on the battlefield. In it, he eerily seemed to predict his own death with the haunting lyrics: “Here in the field, we are full of fear, people are dying, and birds aren’t flying.”
Gadi’s life ended on the morning of October 7th, when murderers took his last breath and abducted his body, along with that of his beloved Judih, from the fields of Nir Oz into Gaza. After 608 days in captivity, their bodies were finally returned in a rescue operation conducted by the IDF and the Shabak.
Gadi’s message to everyone reading this page, who hears a little about his life, written on Friday, October 6th, is:
“Live your life as if it’s your last day, but learn as if you’re going to live forever.”
Abba, we love you and remember you always. You are always with us.
