Three survivors of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel shared their stories in Tulsa.
Survivor Liora Eilon described in a Saturday event held at B’nai Emunah Synagogue being taken by surprise in her home in Kfar Aza in southern Israel. Eilon said the room her family hid in had a door that didn’t lock, so her children spent more than a day holding it closed as Hamas assailants intermittently tested it.
“For 35 long hours, my son and my daughter took turns, hour after hour, one of them holding the door, the other resting,” said Eilon.
Eilon’s house was eventually destroyed in an airstrike after she and her family escaped.
“I have no property in the world that belongs to me,” Eilon said.
Eilon, who appeared with her two teenage granddaughters, said 63 people in her community were murdered, including one of her sons. More than 1,200 died overall in the surprise attack driven by Hamas militants, according to Israeli tallies.
In retaliation, Israel has killed more than 15,900 Palestinians in Gaza through a ground offensive and airstrikes, according to the Palestinian health minister.
B’nai Emunah rabbi Dan Kaiman said stories of violence like the one told by Eilon shed light on the need for peace everywhere.
"That has to translate,” said Kaiman.
Eilon’s travel to the United States was sponsored by the Jewish Agency of Israel, which is connected to the Israeli government. The Jewish Federation of Tulsa also contributed.
