‘A child of love and light’: The story of Staff Sgt. Adi Tzur
Adi Tzur was the glue that held his friends together, a proud Golani fighter and a young man with an enormous heart and boundless compassion for people and animals. He fell on October 7 in a defensive battle outside Kibbutz Kissufim. He was 20 years old. His family paints a portrait of the boy who brought light wherever he went, recalling his final moments and the legacy he left behind.
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The boy who brought light
Adi came into the world as the third son in the Tzur family, after two older brothers.
“Adi came into the world after two older boys,” his mother, Sigal, recalls. “He was born into a family that was already established and mature, a home that was full and complete. He came from so much love, and that was who he was from the very beginning, a child of love, a child full of light.”
From childhood, Adi was marked by an extraordinary social magnetism and a shy, mischievous smile that won everyone over. His father, Meir, remembers the freedom they gave him and the happy moments at home.
“He was a very, very sociable child. He loved having friends with him and around him, and that was how he grew up. We have a large yard, and they would sit there for hours, playing Sony PlayStation and soccer and watching movies. All his friends would gather at our house in huge numbers.”
His eldest brother, Roee, describes the special role Adi played among his friends. “He played a lot of soccer; that was his main hobby, and he had lots of friends. He always managed to bring so many friends together around him. He was simply such a modest kid, and he had this shy smile, and he knew how to bring so many people together. He was always the glue in the group, the one who connected everyone.”
For his middle brother, Amit, Adi was the person who taught him the meaning of responsibility and brotherly love. “Adi was born when I was already 7, but he came into the world with curious eyes and this genuinely mischievous smile. Adi taught me how to be a big brother, I think for the first time in my life, and probably taught me the most important lesson of my life.”
A love that began in their teens
Alongside his many friends, Adi had a great and enduring love that remained with him for years. “He was in a six-year relationship with Inbal,” his parents say. “They started dating when they were 14. It was a great love. They simply grew up together, and it was wonderful to watch. They were together until the day he fell.”
Deep compassion
Another defining quality in Adi’s character was his profound compassion, particularly for those unable to defend themselves.
“He had extraordinary compassion for people, for every living creature and for animals,” his mother says. “From a young age, he knew very clearly what he wanted and what was right for him. At a fairly young age, he began volunteering with animal welfare organizations, especially those helping dogs, and his heart went out to the dogs no one else wanted, those that had been abused, those that were old and had been abandoned.”
Adi enlisted in the Golani Brigade in August 2021 and trained as a sniper. His motivation was exceptionally high. “He enlisted with tremendous drive and determination, eager to prove himself and represent where he came from,” his family says.
The final battle at Kissufim
On the morning of October 7, Staff Sgt. Adi Tzur was on patrol outside Kibbutz Kissufim as part of a sniper jeep team comprising four snipers and a driver. When the rocket and mortar barrage began, the team took shelter in one of the kibbutz’s shelters.
Adi managed to send a short video offering a glimpse of the first moments. “At first, he sent a video showing them driving in the vehicle, with dozens of rockets flying over their heads.” His family replied with concern: “Adi, take care of yourself. Be careful, stay alert, look out for your friends.”
Then contact was lost. “From that point on, no word was heard from him. We tried to reach him again and again, but there was no answer.” The soldiers in the jeep then drove about 700 meters around the kibbutz, where they encountered several squads of terrorists. “We later learned from the investigations that they managed to finish the fight there, and then terrorists came up behind them.” Adi and his team fell in battle.
‘I helped soldiers who were having a harder time than I was’
After his death, the family discovered another testament to Adi’s nobility of spirit in a message he had left for his brother Amit after an arduous march during his military service. “In his own voice, he told him, ‘I saw I was having a hard time, so I helped soldiers who were having a harder time than I was.’ That is Adi. That is what defined Adi. And despite all the difficulties, we are trying to be like Adi.”
Amit also speaks of the inner truth that defined his younger brother. “Adi had an authenticity that almost seemed like it did not belong in this world. There just aren’t people with that kind of authenticity, where what he wanted to do was genuinely what he wanted to give, genuinely what he wanted to see happen.”
The family chose to commemorate Adi through work for the community and for the animals he loved so deeply. “We are constantly carrying out projects and initiatives that support the community, because that was who he was: helping, supporting, seeing others. That is how we came to know the ‘Lives of Others’ organization. They established ‘HaBayit HaKasum’ (the magical home) in memory of Adi Tzur. For me, this commemoration is first and foremost my way of showing the world what we lost, the enormity of what we lost.”
Sigal concludes with the words that have accompanied her since her son’s death. “Every night, I end my day in his room. I tell him about the day I had, and I thank him for the privilege of having chosen me to be his mother. Because I learned so much from him, so very much.”
Staff Sgt. Adi Tzur of the Golani Brigade fell on October 7, 2023. He was 20 years old.
May his memory be a blessing.
Staff Sergeant
Adi Tzur