Shlomo Ron

Sacrificed himself to save his family. Murdered in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which he helped found, on October 7.

Shlomo Ron, 85, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, during a pogrom in the kibbutz which left much of the infrastructure destroyed and hundreds dead.

With his wife, two daughters and grandson hiding in the a safe room during the assault, Ron went out and sat in his easy chair in the living room, Ynet reported. The terrorists shot him on sight, but then left the rest of the house alone. He thereby saved his concealed family members, who ended up staying in the safe room for hours.

Ron was one of the founders of Nahal Oz. He worked as a locksmith and was active in the kibbutz’s cultural scene as an actor and singer. His wife was originally from Kibbutz Kinneret, and, after Ron’s death, she was offered an apartment there, which she accepted. Ron was buried at the Kibbutz Kinneret cemetery.

“Even though they lived in a dangerous place, they were never people who used a gun. They protected the kibbutz and guarded the border because the kibbutz border was the border of the state. Even when they were with small children, and in the years when things started up with Gaza, they never left,” a niece said.