Mody Amir, of blessed memory, husband to Batya Amir,was a true hero. A unique hero, a man who combined wit and quick outside-the-box thinking, reaching the pinnacle of a full life at the time of his death, when he saved the lives of his daughters and granddaughter.

Mody, a member of Kibbutz Kfar Azza, was at home with his two daughters and granddaughter on Saturday, 7th October, at 6:30 am when the “Red Alert” sounded, and he entered the reinforced safe room with them. An hour later, they heard gunshots and Arabic speaking near the house. Mody, who had prepared a small bathroom with a door inside the Mamad for the girls, thought creatively to save his family, at his own personal sacrifice.

Mody told his daughters and granddaughter to enter the bathroom, close the door, and be absolutely quiet. He stood outside the bathroom, with his back to the door so that it was not visible there was a room there. He understood that the terrorists would enter the room, see an older man standing by the wall, shoot him, and move on, thus his daughters and granddaughter would be saved. And that’s exactly what happened – the terrorists broke in, shot and killed Mody, and moved on. His daughters and granddaughter spent 13 terrifying hours in the bathroom but survived to live full lives.

After taking the burst of bullets from the terrorists, as he fell dying to the floor, he must have managed to see the terrorists leaving and known he had succeeded in saving his family. He must have smiled the smile of a victor.

In his life and death, Mody was an example to us all. May his memory be a blessing.