IN MEMORIAM: JUDIH WEINSTEIN

Judih Weinstein, poet and entrepreneur, lived with her husband Gad Haggai on Kibbutz Nir Oz, on the Gaza perimeter. The couple were dual citizens of Israel and the US. They had four children and seven grandchildren. According to the Times of Israel, “she was an English teacher who worked with children with special needs, and also used meditation and mindfulness techniques to treat children suffering from anxiety caused by years of rocket fire that have plagued residents of the Gaza border area.” According to the kibbutz’ statement about her, Judih “loved to create and was dedicated to working for peace and friendship.”
On October 7, 2023, Judih and Gad were on their morning walk when the attack began. Judih made a 40-second video clip of missiles streaking across the sky, and shared it in a group chat that morning. Nothing more was heard from Judih or her husband. Both were murdered that day when Hamas invaded Nir Oz, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.
With permission of the family, we reproduce here a few of her poems. May her memory, and the memory of the others murdered on October 7, be blessed. And may the vitality that bursts from her poems prevail over the messengers of death.