Meni Godard

On Shabbat of October 7th, the widest heart that ever beat, came to a sudden stop.

Meni Godard—salt of the earth, sweetness of the land, a generous, devoted man, with the ability to love boundlessly—was taken from us, and now has finally been returned. One of the rare souls that shaped Be’eri has come home to the land he loved so deeply.

Meni was born in Dajani Hospital in south Tel Aviv, the fourth child of Sonia, a Holocaust survivor from Poland, and of Yaakov, a old-hand swimmer in Israel who competed in two Maccabiah Games and won a series of international titles. In time, Yaakov transitioned from the pools to the beaches and is remembered to this day as the legendary lifeguard of Bat Yam—the city where Meni and his siblings grew up. From Yaakov, Meni inherited his deep love for sports, for the sea, and for people—a love that only grew as time went on.

In the early 1960s, tragedy struck the family. Meni’s sister Yamia, was killed in a traffic accident. The painful struggle with the loss led the eldest sister, Shmuelah, to leave home and move to Kibbutz Be’eri. 

Shortly afterward, at only thirteen, Meni followed in his sister’s footsteps and joined the kibbutz as well. In Be’eri he quickly stood out as an exceptional soccer player. He joined the kibbutz youth team and later the adult team of Hapoel Be’eri, which moved between the B and C leagues. In 1974, the team scored 105 goals—no fewer than 52 (!) of them scored by Meni: the highest number ever scored by a single player in one season.

At eighteen, he set the ball aside and enlisted in the Armored Corps reconnaissance unit. In time, he also fought in the northern front battles of the 7th Brigade during the Yom Kippur War.

After his discharge, the son of the legendary Bat Yam lifeguard became a king of the beach himself—the beach at Yamit. There he met a young and impressive tour guide serving in the area, who immediately captured his heart. From the very first moment he met Ayelet, Meni knew she was the one he would marry. And so it was. Their wedding took place in September 1981. They were the last couple to marry on the beach at Yamit before its evacuation under the peace agreement with Egypt.

From Yamit, Meni and Ayelet moved on to Tel Aviv. He worked as a lifeguard at the Hilton Beach and later at Palmahim Beach. In 1983, their eldest daughter Mor was born, and when she was eight months old, the young family came full circle—Meni returned home, to Be’eri. In 1985, Gal was born, named for Meni’s great love of the sea. In 1991, Bar was born—always "Daddy's girl". In 2004, the family grew when Ayelet and Meni chose to adopt Goni. After meeting Goni for the first time, Meni asked Mor what she thought of him. “He’s cute,” she said. Meni thought for a moment and replied, “I already love him.”

Meni and Ayelet took great pride in Goni and in the close bond that formed among them. “We didn’t bring you into the world,” Meni told him, “but we chose you.”

Throughout his years in Be’eri, Meni held a variety of roles and trades. He worked as a typesetter in the famous local print shop, managed the kibbutz grocery store, and later served as the chief steward. At the same time, he stayed close to the field, first as a player and later as a coach of the local football team. Generations of young people were trained by him, looking up to him with admiration.

While the lower leagues saw him as a symbol of Be’eri, in the upper leagues he was considered one of the most devoted fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv. When Arik Einstein sang “And how miserable are the fans whose hearts get eaten alive,” he was, in many ways, singing about Meni’s heart. While Meni worked as the kitchen supplier, kibbutz members would watch the screens with bated breath whenever Hapoel Tel Aviv played a derby against Maccabi. Everyone in the kibbutz knew that if the Reds won, the next day the jubilant Meni would spoil them with steaks, or at least beer and ice cream for dessert.

Beyond every job and every title, in Be’eri he will be remembered as “Meni from the pool,” the institution he ran for many years. Everyone who entered the pool gates looked for Meni—for his kind word, his backgammon game, his support during moments when the soul needed it most. Every new lifeguard who started working at the pool made the same mistake: agreeing to making a bet with Meni that they could beat him in a ball-juggling contest. It always ended in Meni’s sweeping victory.

Alongside the day-to-day running of the pool, Meni was determined to turn the place into a cultural gathering spot and a local pilgrimage site. As part of this vision, he initiated “The Pool Cafe.” Once a week, a long table was set with coffee and pastries, and many kibbutz members arrived with shining eyes. Instead of the frequent trips to the water park, Meni decided to create one in Be’eri.

Meni’s superpower was his bond with people. His reservoirs of generosity had no limits nor boundaries. He helped both near and far, whether it was a family member, a lone soldier, or a passerby who happened to wander into the pool. The word “no” simply did not exist in his vocabulary. He was, and remained, the go-to person for every appeal for help—the person whose broad shoulders countless people could lean on. His circle of friends spans generations and vast distances, forming the living canon of the good and beautiful Israel: from his comrades-in-arms in the reconnaissance unit, to veteran players of Hapoel Be’er Sheva, to elders of the valley and devoted Hapoel fans.

Meni reaped many rewards in every place he went. But there was no achievement he cherished more than the large family he came from, and the loving family he built. He was a devoted husband to Ayelet, a loving brother to his three siblings, a perfect father to his four children, and a beloved grandfather to his six grandchildren. In addition, he was also a deeply devoted son to his father, Yaakov.

As Yaakov’s health declined, Meni fought in every way he could to bring him to Be’eri. For many years he cared for him with endless devotion, with touching humility and with no less pride, until Yaakov’s death at age 98. Meni loved this land with all his vast heart—its paths, its songs, and its people. He loved Be’eri - its men and women, and was held in universal admiration by his generation and those who followed. In every home in Be’eri, there is someone who regarded Meni as a partner on life’s journey.

In recent years, he and Ayelet joined the “Valley (HaEmek) Parliament” and organized singing evenings that filled Be’eri’s community hall to the brim. At the same time, he continued to roam the trails of the country, sometimes with Ayelet and sometimes with his beloved friends from reserve duty. Outside his home, he planted an orchard that grew apples, mangoes, and mulberries. In a special ceremony with his friends, he named the orchard Arava, after his beloved class. A lush and fruitful orchard—just like the man who nurtured it—an orchard whose fruits will yet grow again.

On the horrific Shabbat of 7 October 2023, Meni and Ayelet were murdered by terrorists during the brutal attack on the southern communities. Until their final moments, Meni and Ayelet were together in the home they loved so dearly, in the kibbutz that was their home. Four months after the attack, on 8 February 2024, Kibbutz Be’eri announced that Meni’s body had been abducted and was being held in the Gaza Strip. For more than two years, Meni’s family, the Be’eri community, and his friends worked tirelessly to bring him back for burial in Israel. After 769 long and agonizing days and nights, the circle has finally closed, and Meni has returned home.

Meni leaves behind an enormous cloud of love — countless companions on the journey, and a loving, heartbroken family: four children and seven grandchildren, the youngest of whom, Noga, was born several months after the murder of her grandparents.

May his memory be blessed.