Dudu Sa’ada hosts Racheli Ankri, aunt of Tiferet Lapidot, who was murdered by Hamas at the heinous attack on the Nova party on October 7.
"Tiferet loved to travel the world. She worked in agriculture, came to Israel for a short vacation before the Jewish New Year, and was supposed to return to Australia, two days before she was buried. She really came to say goodbye. On that night [Simchat Torah] she was at home, she got up at 12:30am and then they started getting friends together for the party. They got there before sunrise, at about 5:30 in the morning, and the madness, missiles and sirens, had already started by 6:30."
"Some people started to leave, but she stayed with another friend – they waited for the situation to calm down a bit, but then the terrorists arrived. Tiferet and another friend got into a car and tried to escape, but she saw that her friend was alone in a nearby car and wanted to move over to her so that she wouldn't be left alone. The car she left was an SUV and managed to get out through the fields. The vehicle she was in now got stuck at the main entrance - the terrorists blocked the exit, threw bombs at the vehicles and they fled into the fields.
Tiferet tried her families’ cell phones but her family is religious and they didn’t answer on Shabbat, so she called the landline. On the second try, her mother Sarit answered her, and Tiferet spoke to her calmly, I think out of respect and concern for her, she knew that her mother was a bereaved sister and that she would not stand this again. She told her “there is a terrorist attack, they are shooting at us. That's it, I just wanted to tell you” The connection broke off and Tiferet was considered missing for ten days. Later, her phone was located in Gaza, so she was considered kidnapped."
Tiferet's uncle, Asher Zaguri, was murdered in Netzarim when Tiferet was 18 months old. "We checked and it was literally a few kilometers from where Tiferet was murdered. Her father, Ohad, attended a meeting of the kidnapped families together with the Prime Minister and told him: “Don't release murderers in exchange for my daughter.” The same mistake must not be repeated, do not release terrorists so that no more Jews die.
We kept thinking that she had been kidnapped and therefore we had a lot of hope that she would return. We did prayer and challah initiatives all over the country and the world. Tiferet was murdered two days before her 23rd birthday, and the whole country celebrated her birthday. It is written “Kol Rina Vi'Yeshua”: when you want to attract redemption - then be happy. After ten days we received the message that her body had been identified. She was completely intact."
"I am working on a civil exemplary badge, which is a type of pin that will have “Hineni” written on it, it will be given by families who have been helped - to those who helped and supported. The idea is to recognize her actions. When a soldier participates in war - he receives a badge. I think that in this war it is very noticeable that the home command is also the front line. We survived only thanks to our communities, Harish and Pardes Hana, who took care of everything for us. Babysitting, laundry, cleaning, shopping, and cooking - we wouldn't be able to hold all the tension together with the burden of life. I think that any help during this war, even the smallest – deserves great appreciation.
We want Tiferet to be kept alive. At the entrance to the Shiva house, Rabbi Auerbach said that it is written that when a person dies, all his virtues become desolate, anyone who wants to will come and take. I think that what we are doing right now is bringing as many of Tiferet’s merit as possible. May her spirit continue to live here. What I want to take away from Tiferet is compassion and truth. What comforts the family today is that Shabbat is brought in early, and that they sing “Ka Echsof “- which is the song that Tiferet loved the most."