“Until now, it was hard for our family to say the name ‘Tomer,’” says Eden Nagar, the brother of Sgt. Tomer Nagar, who was killed in a heroic battle on October 7, and the father of the toddler named after his uncle. “When we heard the name, we immediately thought of my brother’s death. Now, when someone says ‘Tomer’, we can also allow ourselves to smile, to ask if they mean the older Tomer or the younger.”
Tomer, who was the youngest sibling of Eden, enlisted in December 2022 and served in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion—a third‑generation family of Golani soldiers, says his father Ezra with pride. Before enlisting, Tomer completed a year-long pre-military voluntary service at an elementary school and at a youth club for at‑risk teens called “The Greenhouse."
“Since he was a child, Tomer looked up to the founding generation of the state and was fascinated by their work,” his father says. “His motto was: ‘It’s all in the mind and the sky’s the limit.’ He wanted to do something meaningful in his service, and all the years of training channeled into 42 minutes of heroic battle in which he fought calmly and bravely.”
On the morning of October 7, Nagar took his post at a bunker near Kibbutz Kisufim. Ten minutes before his shift ended, a scout called in a raid. Tomer, manning the bunker roughly 150 meters from the kibbutz entrance, insisted on staying and firing at any threat. In that bold decision, he provided suppressive fire to soldiers hiding inside a protected enclave beside them and enabled them to arm themselves and head out to defend the settlement.
“He remained at his position out of responsibility, comradeship, professionalism and the understanding that as long as he fired, no terrorist got past him,” Ezra said. “Dozens of terrorists reached the area, only a few entered the post, and he eliminated the rest. By testimony we received, he had a Negev machine gun and 675 rounds. He fired them all, until the last one.”
'In Tomer’s way'
After Tomer’s death, the family released a memorial beer edition in collaboration with Srigim Brewery. “All the profits go to at‑risk children and IDF soldiers,” said Ezra, noting that in the volunteer project Tomer had joined, the name was changed to “In Tomer’s Way.”
Four months after losing Tomer, Eden and his wife, Shani, welcomed their first daughter, Shay‑Li. In January, they found out the next child would be a boy. “Even during the pregnancy with Shay‑Li, we were considering the name,” Shani says. “For me, it was a given years before. Still, even now it’s not easy for us to say ‘Tomer,’” Eden admits. Shani adds: “We didn’t want to cause pain to Eden’s parents. Only after we asked their permission and received it, did we choose the name.”
The birth arrived during a complex time: on October 7, the family marked the two‑year anniversary of Tomer’s death and on October 9, their son Tomer was born. “This is our life after October 7,” says Shani. “We've learned to live between sorrow and joy, to combine them and navigate both.”
Eden adds: “We got an example of this during the brit milah. In the morning, I was at a memorial ceremony at the school Tomer attended; then I went to the brit of our son Tomer; afterward, the family attended a memorial in the Scouts movement where my brother served. A day of emotional rollercoaster.”
Despite being only a month old, little Tomer is already giving the family moments of happiness. “He’s a little charmer,” says Eden lovingly. Grandfather Ezra adds, “Even now, when he’s only a few days old, he reminds me of my son Tomer. He too, after he was born, was calm and smiling all the time. I hope he inherits the qualities his uncle displayed—serenity, courage and inspiring willpower.”