Ten-year-old Daria from Kibbutz Re'im has been traumatized for six months following the murder of her father Dvir Karp in front of her eyes on October 7.
That morning, terrorists broke into their home, and Daria sent a chilling WhatsApp message to her mother Reut, 42, who was at a friend's house in Yehud. "Dad is lying on the floor and hasn't moved for a long time. They shot him," she wrote.
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In the back: Daria Karp and Atar Ravina; on the left, Daria's mother Reut Karp
(Photo: Orel Cohen)
"I asked her to check if he had a pulse," Reut shares painfully. Questions followed. “Why did they kill him and not you? Who will take care of us now? I'm afraid to die, when will the army come? Why wasn't there a peace agreement?"
Moments before the attack, Dvir, 47, had tried to reassure Reut that he was protecting the children. When the terrorists entered, Dvir confronted them with a hatchet, killing one but was fatally shot by the others, who also killed his partner Stav Kimchi. "I kept Daria on the phone for three hours and tried to send for help in a group message to the kibbutz, hoping someone would come to the house," recounts Reut.
Three months after the massacre, an extraordinary encounter occurred in a studio near the apartment building in Tel Aviv, where the family is currently staying.
Atar Ravina, 35, a master's student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, arrived with her friends to volunteer with the displaced residents of the Gaza border region, and she immediately bonded with Daria, describing it as "love at first sight."
Daria began to regularly visit the nearby studio, and after years of doodling on pieces of paper and even assembling shapes from collected materials, she revealed herself as a highly talented painter.
"Daria integrates into the creative environment like a professional artist," boasts Atar, "like one of the students from Bezalel."
‘A child with a strong character’
After Dvir and Stav were murdered, Daria wrapped herself and her younger brother Lavi, 8, who is on the autism spectrum, in a blanket in the safe room and braced for the worst. The terrorists approached, lifted the blanket, discovered the trembling children, and miraculously covered them again without harming them. "We said Birkat HaGomel (a blessing recited upon deliverance from danger)," shares Reut.
Throughout this time, noises continued from inside the house, and the terrified Daria held her ground with great courage. When Dvir's phone vibrated, she answered a call from his sister and told her: "They took my father; he can't talk, he was murdered."
Reut instructed her to stay in hiding, and only after three hours did Golan Septon, an armed member of the kibbutz, arrive at the scene. He was unable to extract the children immediately and stayed with them in the safe room for another nine hours, until around 7:00 PM, when he was able to get them out through a window.
Daria has not fully recovered. To this day, she refuses to take off her pajamas. However, her activities in the studio are aiding her recovery and helping her express her pain.
"Daria comes to me accompanied by the educational coordinator of Kibbutz Re'im," Ravina shares. "I found a perceptive child with dreamy eyes. I told her that everything is allowed in my studio, even making a mess, and she felt at home. Sometimes she comes up with a preconceived idea or an exciting technique she saw on TikTok, filled with imagination. Her fragile appearance is deceiving; she is a child with a strong character, very intuitive."
Daria's paintings, once filled with optimism, have changed and are now imbued with somber colors. One of her paintings documents October 7, after she dreamed her father came back to life. It features a grave, blood and her father with a hatchet in his hand.
Healing through art
Reut hopes that through art, the complex process Daria is undergoing will look different. "She is regressing, undergoing psychological therapy, taking one step forward and two steps back. New noises scare her, like an operating air conditioner or unfamiliar sounds, and I still accompany her to the restroom," says Reut.
"But my hope is that I have a little 'Chagall' at home. I foresee a great future for her." Reut also plans to dedicate an exhibition to Dvir and display Daria's artworks.
"When I paint, I feel good," Daria concludes. "I enjoy seeing my ideas turn into beautiful paintings. I love working with Atar in the studio and seeing what other artists do. I dream that everyone will see what I do to remember my father."