Hero: Omri shielded recruits with his body and saved hundreds
On the morning of October 7, 2023, the Search and Rescue Brigade’s training base in Zikim became the scene of a decisive battle. Among the soldiers who stood as a rampart between the terrorists and hundreds of inexperienced recruits was Staff Sgt. Omri Niv Firshtein.
Omri, the son of Orly, Michal and Kobi, was the older brother of Maya and Mika. He was just 20, a striking young man with a captivating smile and optimistic eyes, whose decision to step out of shelter to protect his comrades prevented a far greater disaster.
A pioneering family and a childhood of ball
Omri’s story begins with a unique family, one ahead of its time in its structure, which provided him with a foundation of unconditional love. “How did it all begin? How did Omri begin?” asks his mother, Orly Niv Edelstein. “We are two mothers and a father, and Omri was born into this family, which was relatively pioneering in its shared structure.”
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From childhood, Omri embodied energy and movement. His father, Kobi Firshtein, recalls a boy who never rested. “He was very physical. You’d pick him up from kindergarten and go straight to the park, the climbing frame, the trampoline, the swings, the indoor play center. He was always attached to a ball and played many sports until he settled on basketball. He was a player for Hapoel Givatayim.”
For Omri, sports were not only competition but a way of life that shaped both his body and his social character. He was “a kid of friends,” as his mother describes him, active in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth movement and thriving especially during challenging periods. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, he discovered the world, and around 11th grade, after getting his driver’s license, he became the number one social butterfly.”
‘Rose-tinted glasses’
At home, Omri was the beating heart of family gatherings. His bond with his father was built around simple moments of closeness. “Part of our routine was watching movies, drinking beer and talking, and that opened many conversations. You could easily reach Omri through a movie, through food, and then everything would just open and flow,” Kobi says through pain.
He describes a son who knew how to appreciate what he had. “He knew he received unconditional love, and at the same time, he knew how to appreciate it and say thank you. I think he often looked at things with a bit of optimism, through rose-tinted glasses.”
His sister Mika speaks of someone she admired, an older brother who was also her best friend and a source of inspiration, despite and perhaps because of, their shared stubbornness. “We were both very stubborn. A little before he was killed, I made a cynical joke and he said to me, ‘What’s this? Are you copying my humor?’ I told him, ‘Absolutely not, you’re copying me.’ Such a hero, like someone to look up to.”
The path to uniform: ‘I choose you’
When his enlistment arrived, Omri chose a path of giving and rescue. He enlisted in the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade. His mother recalls the rapid transformation he underwent. “He began the track, a standard combat track, Rifleman 07, Rescue 07 in parallel. And within the first two or three weeks, we already saw a change in him.”
Omri did not only seek to be a combat soldier; he sought the place where he could have the greatest impact. When he heard about a company commander at the Zikim training base who was looking for a communications NCO for his command post, he did not hesitate. In the interview, with self-confidence mixed with his characteristic charm, he told the commander, “I choose you.” In June 2023, he transferred to the Zikim base and became part of the training staff. “He was happy,” his mother says.
The black Sabbath: the battle for Zikim
On the morning of October 7, the calm at the Zikim base was shattered at once. When sirens sounded, the soldiers ran to fortified shelters. Within a short time, the company commander understood it was not only rocket fire but an infiltration attempt by dozens of terrorists.
At that moment, the heroism of Omri and his peers became clear. The commanders decided to replace the recruits at the guard posts to protect them. Omri, with resourcefulness and courage, did not remain inside the shelter. His mother reconstructs his final moments. “He went out and flanked the position. He moved to the left of the post and there he essentially opened up his field of vision, direct eye contact with the terrorists.”
At 8:13 a.m., the battle reached its peak. The terrorists threw eight fragmentation grenades at Omri and his comrades and fired an RPG. Omri fell in battle alongside his friends. “The battle that Omri and his friends fought prevented the terrorists from entering, and the Zikim training base became the only base that was not overrun that Saturday, October 7.”
‘The silence that remains’: Omri’s legacy
For Omri’s family, the void he left is immeasurable. “We received a funny child, with so much energy, so much love and so much giving, just as we dreamed,” his father says. The longing centers on the small, routine moments. “The routine of the five of us on Friday is what I miss most, Friday dinner, just us, when he would make the kiddush.”
His sister Mika asks that the world remember his kindness and his willingness to sacrifice everything for others. “I would like people to remember his good heart and to draw inspiration from it.”
Despite the unimaginable pain, Omri’s mother chooses to convey the message he lived by, one of life and optimism. “I would like people to know that despite the immense difficulty, there is a reason to live, that life is beautiful. Omri enjoyed it very much and lived it to the fullest as long as he could. We must seize life, live the moment and enjoy it.”
Omri Niv Firshtein OBM left behind a legacy of love, friendship and comradeship. He was the child who saw the world through rose-tinted glasses, the soldier who chose his commanders and his friends, and the hero who, when called upon, gave his life so that hundreds of others could go on living.
May his memory be a blessing.
Staff Sergeant
Omri Niv Firshtein OBM