They are a large and cohesive group, one big family that does almost everything together, and there's one thing Kibbutz Kfar Aza's senior citizens will never give up: taking trips in Israel and abroad together.
Last April, they booked a trip to Bulgaria, and six months later, on October 4, they excitedly boarded the flight to Sofia, unaware of the horrors that unfolded later that week.
Their trips can be exhausting even for younger people: hiking in nature, mountain climbing and challenging terrain, but no one complained, and the main thing was to cherish every moment together.
Although the first three days in Bulgaria were wonderful, everything changed when the group began receiving updates about Hamas' attacks and the terrorists' raid on the kibbutz, and the trip turned into one big nightmare.
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Varda Goldstein received updates in real-time until there was silence
(Photo: Oz Mualem)
Varda Goldstein and her husband David (Gogo), lost their son Nadav and granddaughter Yam who were murdered in the massacre, while their daughter-in-law Chen and three grandchildren, Agam, Gal and Tal, were abducted by Hamas and returned after 51 days in captivity. Chen's parents, Giora and Shlomit Almog, were on the same trip when they received the news.
"We arrived in Sofia and went out for a walk," Varda recounted. "We hired guides and went mountain climbing. There was much foliage around, a lot of water. What more could you ask for? We were a great group. Good hotels and good food. It's just a simple kibbutz trip. Nothing fancy."
On Saturday morning, as they were touring a town north of Sofia, their phones began to ring. The group members gathered in the hotel lobby and tried to gather details about what was happening across the sea, in Kfar Aza.
"The phones started ringing, and our neighbors cried for help. At first, one, then another, and another, and dozens, if not hundreds. Everyone started calling families. We couldn't believe it was happening. We began to hear news about friends who were murdered, about classmates who were murdered, about Roy Edan and his wife Samadar who were murdered and their children hiding in a closet. Shlomit Mor, their grandmother, Samadar's mother, was with us and managed to talk to them, and they said that Abigail ran to the Brodutch family and was later kidnapped too.
"We didn't talk with Nadav. Yam was the only one to have her phone because they hid in her room. At some point, her battery ran out and we were disconnected. My last contact with her was at 11:25 a.m., and in hindsight, we know that was the moment they were murdered and abducted. 'Grandma, we're asking for help,' was her last message to me. The terrorists burst into the room, murdered Nadav and Yam, and abducted Chen, Agam, Gal and Tal," she said.
"Slowly we began to understand the great massacre that had befallen the kibbutz. We decided to cut the trip short, but flights couldn't be arranged. We were with other families who lost children and grandchildren, and they arranged a flight for us only on Tuesday, three days later. The time we waited there for the flight was the nightmare of my life. We were like zombies," she added.
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The family-like group lost children and grandchildren, unable to help
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
The group members know that their lives were spared thanks to their trip and their destroyed homes in the kibbutz are a constant reminder of that. "If I had been in Kfar Aza on that day, we probably wouldn't be speaking today," Varda said.
"Our home is ruined and burnt. There was very intense fighting there, soldiers were killed. Despite everything, I want to go back home, to Kfar Aza. We owe it to Nadav. In all the wars and operations, Nadav always said that you don't abandon home. His catchphrase was that hope dies last. And I have hope," she concluded.