A couple who survived the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in this southern Israeli kibbutz held the first brit milah ceremony there since the attack, naming their newborn son in memory of family members killed and the soldier who rescued them.
Itay and Moran Sha’abi fled their home in Kibbutz Be’eri that Saturday morning, after terrorists attempted to break into their bomb shelter and smoke began seeping in. They escaped with their children and hid in the trees for hours. Several of Moran’s family members were killed in the assault.
On Tuesday, the couple returned to the kibbutz synagogue to circumcise their infant son, naming him Bar Shavit. The name “Bar” honors Moran’s parents, Yuval and Maayan Bar, who were killed in the attack. “Shavit” is in tribute to Shavit Lev, a reservist from the Israeli navy’s elite Shayetet 13 unit, who found the family hiding in the bushes and led them to safety.
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“On October 7, they took and destroyed everything, and we chose life,” Itay Sha’abi said. “We had a baby and named him Bar Shavit Sha’abi—Bar for Yuval and Maayan, and Shavit for the soldier who rescued us and showed humanity amid the horror.”
He added, “We were happy to hold the first brit milah in the Be’eri synagogue, and even more so to raise the generation of victory.”
More than 100 residents of Be’eri were killed in the October 7 attack, one of the hardest-hit communities during the surprise assault launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.