Yanai Hetzroni

Yanai and his twin sister Liel were born to Shira on April 6, 2011. They were healthy, sweet, round-faced babies. When the seriousness of Shira's medical condition became apparent, the entire family rallied together to take care of the children.

Yanai and his sister grew up with their great-aunt Ayala and were blessed with a warm home and an extended and multifaceted family: his father was both grandfather and father, and Ayala was both mother and aunt. Nitza, his father's sister, called them “nechyanim” --- a portmanteau of the words "grandchildren" and "nieces/nephews." Shira's cousins ​​all took part as much as they could. The twins grew up in a warm home, and they would visit their mother daily.

Yanai loved spending time at the petting zoo and being close to the animals. He got along naturally with them, with remarkable ease. To some extent, he was an introverted boy, yet he was curious, intelligent, and always willing to help. And he knew how to clown around, which made him a lot of fun to be with. The children in the Lilac group remember how he once rode through the kibbutz on a scooter that was overloaded with kids. His friends called him ‘Kitos’ and ‘Hezboki’-- nicknames that hinted perhaps at his very well-groomed tufts of hair.

Yanai loved spending time with his grandfather, Avia. They often took morning trips around the kibbutz together, sometimes on foot and sometimes by scooter. They liked riding in the ambulance together and talking about medicine and anatomy. Yanai loved to spend hours in the kitchen with his sister, baking, eating, and goofing around. He loved to play basketball, soccer, and, above all, tennis. Together with a classmate, he excelled in the mixed doubles. He and his grandmother Eva were devoted Barcelona fans. In an old photo, you can see them together at a Barca match at the Sami Ofer Stadium. Barcelona fan club members in Israel attended his funeral.

Last summer, Yanai completed grade school at Sdot Eshkol Elementary and moved to the 7th grade at Nofei Habsor Junior High. This year—his Bar Mitzvah year—was meant to be challenging. It was meant to be awesome.

Yanai and those dear to him were murdered on Saturday, October 7, 2023.

May his name be a blessing.