The Rabi Family From Kibbutz Kerem Shalom – October 7 | Kan 7.10.360

The Rabi family hosts guests for the Simchat Torah holiday, with everyone spending the night. When rocket sirens blare, all 14 people in the house cram into the small safe room: Dudi and Geula with their five children — the youngest, Noam, just two months old — along with a visiting couple and their five kids. The Rabis’ two eldest children, ages 15 and 16, are away that Saturday

Geula, the kibbutz spokesperson tasked with drafting emergency communications for residents, notices her phone battery is nearly drained and asks Dudi to fetch her a charger. As he steps out of the safe room, a message arrives from the Ravshatz (Military Ongoing Security Coordinator), Elia Ben Shimol, directing the security squad to prepare for deployment following a reported infiltration from Gaza into Israeli territory

Elia, the kibbutz’s Ravshatz, instructs members of the security squad to leave their homes and deploy across the kibbutz in pairs. Dudi joins the deputy Ravshatz, Eli Ben Dor, and together they position themselves at the entrance of a fortified public shelter at the center of the community. Meanwhile, in the safe room, Geula and the guests listen as bursts of gunfire draw steadily nearer

From their position at the entrance to the public shelter, Dudi and Eli spot seven figures roughly a hundred meters away, shouting in Arabic, most of them clad in IDF uniforms. Assuming they are soldiers from the IDF’s Bedouin reconnaissance battalion, the two call out, “IDF! IDF!” Moments later, the men — in fact, terrorists — open fire. Dudi and Eli return fire. One of the terrorists advances through the bushes, clutching a grenade. Eli, just meters away, spots him, takes aim, and hits. The terrorists scatter into the residential area, firing into the houses windows. Dudi and fellow emergency responders ultimately manage to eliminate them

Dudi calls Geula and warns her not to leave the safe room. “We’ve taken down several terrorists,” he says. Cradling their infant daughter Noam in her arms, Geula continues to manage the kibbutz’s emergency communication network, answering calls from residents desperate for guidance

Alongside fellow security squad members, Dudi advances toward the eastern perimeter of the kibbutz, near the solar fields, where the crackle of Kalashnikov fire echoes through the air. A combat helicopter arrives to provide support. The Ravshatz guides it to the target zone, prompting the security squad members to withdraw to avoid the incoming aerial barrage. The helicopter launches a missile into the open terrain, forcing dozens of terrorists from their hiding place. It then strikes again, hitting its mark

Members of the security squad are dispatched to the Schindler family home, where terrorists have broken in, while Dudi and Eli remain at the kibbutz' perimeter near the solar fields. Minutes later, the Ravshatz, Elia, calls Dudi and asks him to bring a first aid kit — there are wounded at the Schindler residence. Dudi races to the scene, where gunfire still rages around the house as the security squad engages in a gun fight with the terrorists. He spots a wounded man lying on the ground with a helmet, rushes to assist, and realizes it’s his friend, Yedidya Raziel — already lifeless, without a pulse. The terrorists spot Dudi, and a firefight ensues. Dudi manages to repel them

Through a breach in the fence, terrorists launch an RPG that strikes Yair Wiesner, a member of the security squad, leaving him critically wounded. Amid ongoing gunfire, Dudi begins administering first aid under fire

Dudi informs Geula of the casualties at the Schindler residence. She immediately contacts a friend who had been staying with them — Dr. Barak Karawani, currently in the neighboring house. A security squad vehicle collects Barak, who rushes to the scene to treat the wounded, leaving his wife and children behind in the safe room. Simultaneously, Geula works to summon reinforcements for the kibbutz. She also exchanges messages with her cousin, who's an active soldier in the Gaza Division

Members of the security squad establish an improvised emergency operations center inside the kibbutz’s administrative building. There, the wounded begin to arrive, joined by medics and Dr. Karawani. Dudi continues administering first aid, tending to the injured and dressing their wounds

The kibbutz emergency team convenes at Geula and Dudi’s home to prepare for the heart-wrenching task of notifying two families that their loved ones have fallen in combat — fellow security team members Yedidya Raziel and Amichai Witzan. Dudi collects Geula in the squad’s armored vehicle, and together with other representatives, they first visit the Witzen family and then the Raziel household

Once security reinforcements arrive at the kibbutz, Dudi and Geula return home. That night, the entire family shelters in the safe room with their guests.