Dror Or
Dror was born on Kibbutz Re’im on January 10, 1975, the son of Yuval and Dorit, members of the kibbutz, and the middle brother to Dana and Elad. On Re’im, Dror belonged to the “Te’enah” (Fig) class, and studied in the elementary schools on Kibbutz Re’im and on Kibbutz Urim, and later at the regional high school, Ma’aleh HaBesor.
From a young age, Dror was a people-person—always looking for ways to help his friends, a natural connector who brought people together in any situation. He began speaking at an early age, and would explain to the caregivers in the children's house what was bothering or troubling the other children in his group.
Dror played basketball as a youngster and throughout his elementary and high school years. In the 12th grade, he played in two Hapo'el Eshkol teams—youth and adults—and excelled in his position as point guard. Dror related to the game, and life in general, with a wide perspective, always emphasizing how the team functioned as a whole and the role of each player individually. After high school, he spent a year of service with the Noar HaOved youth movement in Rishon LeZion. Even during that year, he continued training in basketball with great dedication. Years of training eventually led to knee injuries and a lowered military profile, and so it happened that this free-spirited man served in the Military Police, as a prison instructor in Prison 4.
After the army, he worked in the dairy barn on Re’im and then set out to earn money for his big trip, which was a custom for post-army kibbutz youth. He worked as a bartender at the “El Gaucho” restaurant in Eilat, and then traveled to India. He returned to Israel for a short period, continued working, and set out again—this time to Australia, where he combined work on agricultural farms with traveling across the continent. When he came back to Israel, he arrived at Kibbutz Be’eri to work in the printing house as a computer-to-plate operator. During that period, he met Yonat, a young woman who was born on the kibbutz, who would come as a student to do shifts and contribute work hours in the kibbutz.The two became a couple.
After some time on Be’eri, the young couple moved to Tel Aviv. Dror studied culinary arts at Tadmor and worked in several restaurants in the city, including the “Bellini” restaurant. In 2003, Dror and Yonat decided to marry, and held their wedding by the pool in Kibbutz Re’im. They lived for a while in Rehovot and in 2004 returned to Be’eri, where they chose to build their home together. In 2005, their eldest son, Yahli, was born. A year and a half later, Noam was born, and at the beginning of 2010, Alma joined the family. Dror and Yonat were wonderful parents to their three little rascals, caring for them with immense love and endless patience. When most parents would say, “I’m counting to three and that’s it,” Dror and Yonat would calmly count to thirty.
In their early years in Be’eri, Dror worked in the printing house, in the credit card department. Later on, he accepted Dagan’s offer and joined the dairy. There he found his place and his calling. Dror was trained in cheese-making both in Israel and abroad, always searching for ways to diversify and create new and interesting flavors. There was a period in which he also ran a vegetarian catering service as part of his work at the dairy. During the anemone-bloom season, he would set up elaborate events outdoors with volunteers and local teens, offering fine cheeses and excellent food. In recent years, Dror managed the dairy and was planning, together with his coworkers, to create a large and beautiful visitor center in Be’eri.
Alongside all this, Dror practiced yoga daily for many years, and even taught yoga for a period. It was important to him to share his knowledge and experience with others, and he invested in this alongside his commitments to work and family. He was a yogi in the deepest sense of the word, embracing the philosophy and ideas of yoga beyond the daily practice. Wherever he went, in every human encounter, he brought with him the inner calm and yogic serenity that so defined him.
On Saturday, October 7, Dror and Yonat were at home with their children, Noam and Alma, in the Kerem neighborhood. When the terrorists entered the house and begun to set it on fire, Dror and Yonat instructed Noam and Alma to jump out the window, run, and stay together. In doing so, they saved their children’s lives. Noam and Alma were kidnapped to Gaza shortly after jumping from the shelter window. They returned to Israel on November 25, 2023, as part of the first hostage release deal, after 50 days in captivity. For a long time, Dror was considered a missing hostage, and only on May 2, 2024, was the family informed that he had been murdered on Be’eri on October 7 and kidnapped to Gaza afterward. For more than two years, his family fought for his return. On November 25, 2025—exactly two years after Alma and Noam returned from captivity—Dror, too, was brought home for burial in the place that had been reserved for him, beside Yonat.
Dror and Yonat raised their growing children with pride, loved traveling the world, spending time and laughing with their many friends, and were an essential part of the Or[1]family. True to their names, Dror and Yonat were people of freedom and of light—people of spirit and creation. They knew how to dream and how to turn dreams into reality. They each left behind local legacies that continue their path in the world, and many people who miss their singular presence: a close circle of friends with whom they loved to dance and celebrate, a family in which they were a profound anchor, and their three children, who—despite having had far too few years with them—carry within them the light and goodness that their parents embodied.
May his soul be bound in a bundle of life.
May their memory be blessed.
[1]"Or" means light in Hebrew.
