Dror Kaplun
Drori, born in Kibbutz Ruhamah, was the son of Sarah and Aharonchik Kaplun, and the younger brother of Yehuda. His father made aliyah from Moldova in 1937, eventually becoming a founding member of Kibbutz Ruhamah. Blessed with remarkable dexterity, he excelled as a blacksmith and metalworker. His passions extended to nurturing a pigeon loft, founding a pig farm during a time when it was permissible, delighting friends with his smoked meats, and pioneering the carp fish farming initiative in the Ruhamah dam.
Drori's mother, Sarah Lauper, was a Holocaust survivor, the sole survivor of her family. She endured numerous hardships and passed through several concentration camps before arriving in Israel. It is often said within the Kaplun family that Aharonchik's love for Sarah saved her from the trauma of her experiences. Sarah cherished Aharonchik, who was a staunch believer in the ideals of collectivism, socialism, and communism, and she followed in his footsteps.
Throughout her life, Sarah worked as a factory worker on the production line at the Mivreshet factory in Ruhamah, a job she truly did not enjoy. However, she found solace in sailing away through her imagination in exquisite prose and poetry, endlessly reading both in Hebrew and Polish.
Drori and Yehuda grew up in the communal children's house of their kibbutz. In the few hours they spent together, they collected stamps, organising them by themes, and played chess—on a board when they had one, and sometimes just from memory. As they matured and each assumed significant management roles in their respective kibbutzim (Drori in Ruhamah and Yehuda in Nir Am), they enjoyed debating and contemplating together the best ways to tackle the managerial challenges that faced them, further deepening their bond.
Drori was always a good student, fond of learning but not of taking exams. He possessed a sharp mind and a good memory, excelling in both the sciences and the humanities. Beloved and a leader in the "Sheizaf" peer group where he grew up, Drori was a short and chubby child who, through sheer willpower and discipline, transformed himself into an outstanding athlete, playing for Ruhamah's volleyball team. The 20 centimetres he lacked in height to be a "spiker" did not prevent him from being an exceptional "playmaker," skillfully setting up the ball for the spikers.
Drori enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade, went on to officer training, and became a platoon commander in the Golani Brigade. During his service in the Northern Command, while lying in ambush, he encountered terrorists and neutralised them. For this, he received an unofficial commendation from the then Northern Command chief, Rafael (Raful) Eitan: a Kalashnikov rifle as a gift. Modest as he was, Drori never told his children about this incident.
After a year of regular service, Drori returned to Ruhamah, worked in the orchard, and even managed it for several years. Following his undergraduate degree in economics from Ruppin Academic College, he managed the Mivreshet factory during an economic crisis. Drori also led Ruhamah's transition from a traditional kibbutz to a kibbutz of a modern type, contributing to the success of this process while ensuring support for the weaker members of the community. He was a man of action, setting a personal example and acting with integrity. This experience led him to manage communities in other kibbutzim such as Lahav, Magen, Yad Mordechai, and Revadim, and in his last role, he managed the community neighbourhood in Kibbutz Gevim. Drori was known for his clear vision, excellent interpersonal skills, and a deep understanding of how people should and could live in a modern kibbutz, making him a legendary community manager. Everywhere he worked, he was valued and loved, and while communities wanted him to stay, Drori always knew precisely when it was time to move on. However, this did not prevent him from continuing to offer his advice and help voluntarily to those in need.
Drori married Rosie, a volunteer on Kibbutz Ruhamah, in 1980. Their wedding was held in her native England. In 1982, their eldest daughter, Maayan, was born, followed by Noam in 1985, and Moran in 1987. The couple divorced in 2003. His children describe him as a present and involved father. "On weekends, we would join him in the orchard for picking, in morning shifts at the factory or in the dining room, and even for gate duty. If there was a weekend without shifts, we always went out with him on nature trips around the kibbutz." Noam, his son, adds: "All the years I played soccer, Dad would drive me to all the games on Saturdays. When I was a soldier, he came to visit every time I was home for the weekend." Despite being a hardworking father, when he came home, he set aside his work and devoted himself to his children. This trait also defined him as a grandfather to his five grandchildren: Yuval, Ofir, Nir, Alon, and Klil. He devoted himself entirely to them, without a phone or WhatsApp - just Grandpa Drori and the grandchildren. It's no wonder they loved visiting their grandfather in Be'eri and looked forward to his visits with excitement.
Drori was proud of his children and grandchildren. Like his mother, he was an avid reader, sometimes reading three books at once, sometimes more than once. He passionately recommended books he loved and often bought books as gifts for his friends. He fantasised about retirement, where he could read to his heart's content and delve into topics that interested him. He even volunteered as a librarian at the Be'eri library, forming friendships with fellow enthusiastic readers.
It was Ayelet Godard, of blessed memory, who introduced Marcelle to Drori. Their first meeting was at a café at the Yad Mordechai junction, and their love blossomed. The modest Drori, who always made do with little, was opened by Marcelle to worlds he was less familiar with and learned to love: cultural events, trips in Israel and abroad. Marcelle taught him to go out, have fun, and enjoy life. On October 5th, two days before the tragedy, they danced until dawn at the Tamar Festival in the Arava. Drori was a man of peace, from the time of Lebanon when he protested outside Ariel Sharon's house to his last days when he made sure to stand at Kaplan every Saturday. Drori was a man of spirit and action, who knew how to turn his vision into reality. He knew there was a time to enrich his own spirit and that of those around him, and a time to plan and execute moves, to make calculations, and to advance the community in which he lived or worked. A person who was a pleasure to speak with. A knowledgeable, thoughtful philosopher at heart, who always spoke to everyone eye to eye. Like his father, he believed in positive thinking, started the morning with a small prayer of intention for the good, and felt that the world smiled back at him.
Only one year of retirement was granted to him. He spent it doing what he loved: reading books, engaging in sports, and walking on a tightrope to maintain his balance. He adhered to a healthy diet following the "Maimonides" method and became a nutritional and healthy lifestyle consultant for his loved ones and acquaintances. He felt at the peak of his life.
On Saturday, October 7th, Drori grasped the severity of the situation. He expressed his concern for his brother in Nir Am, writing to him, "Don't try to be a hero." He instructed his sister-in-law, Orna, on how to breathe to calm down and how to securely lock the safe room's door. After 10:30, communication between him and his family stopped.
Drori left a vast void, a space that will not be filled. His absence is profoundly felt by his children Maayan and Eyal, Noam and Shira, Moran and Guy; his five grandchildren; his brother Yehuda and sister-in-law Orna; all family members and the many friends from all periods of his life with whom he kept in touch. Drori will also be greatly missed by Marcelle's children and grandchildren, who dearly loved him, and by his friends in Be'eri, where he lived nearly 20 years with his beloved Marcelle.
His sixth soon-to-be-born granddaughter will grow up hearing stories about her grandfather, a man of great deeds and spirit, and will grow up in their light.
His life was taken at 68.
May his memory be a blessing.
