Ben Benyamin Shimoni

About

Ben Binyamin Shimoni was the first born son to parents Pnina and Rafi Shimoni after many efforts to bring children into the world. Ben has younger twin brothers, Avinoam and Chai, and Chai has special needs. The three of them grew up in Dugit of Gush Katif near the sea. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, Ben’s parents Pnina and Rafi divorced. Ben moved to the north with his father, and two years later, his brother Avinoam joined him, spending their teenage years there together. After completing his military service, Ben and his father decided to leave the north and move to Modi'in to start a business together, which led Ben into the world of business and hospitality. In recent years, Ben moved back to live with his mother and brother Chai in their home in Ashkelon. Later on, his partner Jessica also joined them
 
Ben always loved extreme sports, cars, and motorcycles. His friends and close-knit family were his whole world. He was always ready to help, even when not asked. Ben loved to celebrate life and live in the moment; nightlife and parties were an integral part of his life. He owned several businesses in Jerusalem related to food and nightlife. In the last few months of his life, he decided to leave these businesses and began working as a sous-chef with his good friend Matan Zafrir at the Pitmaster restaurant in Petah Tikva, with a bright future ahead in the industry. His coworkers recount that they had never met a more professional, caring, and dedicated person than him

That Saturday, Ben decided to stay home for the second holiday of Sukkot, a decision that, as it turned out later, saved his mother and brother Chai from traveling to celebrate at the home of their friend from Dugit, Tova Goren, who lived in Kfar Aza and was murdered in her home along with her daughter Eran.

On October 7th, in the early morning hours, Ben left for the Nova festival, where he met up with his friends Tom Peretz and Michal Ohana. His partner Jessica, who was inseparable from him, surprisingly decided to stay home that evening with his mother and brother Chai. When the attack began, Ben immediately called his mother to inform her that there were rockets and to wake up Jessica and take everyone to the safe room (bomb shelter). Ben wasn't afraid of the rockets; he got into his car and started to flee. He knew the area well, having grown up there and served there during his military service. Ben was an experienced driver and knew how to navigate the roads of the Gaza envelope 

At the beginning of the journey, there was a big traffic jam, and Ben decided to escape with his car through the fields. During the journey, he picked up four passengers he didn't know: Jude Kotler, Amit Shalit, Mashi Lindner, and Tal Gozgal. From their testimonies, we understand that Ben quickly grasped the situation and did everything to calm them down and bring them to safety. He rescued them to Be'er Sheva. On his way there, he contacted his father, who lives in Be'er Sheva, and asked if he could bring them to his house. His father was at work in Omer (another city in the South) and told Ben to come and get the key. Ben realized this would delay him and decided to drop them off at a house he didn't know at the entrance to Be'er Sheva. There, they begged him to stay with them and not return to the festival area, but he was determined to save his friends who were still there 

That morning, during the rescues, Ben managed to speak with his friends and family. Everyone had the chance to talk to him: his father Rafi, his mother Pnina, his brother Avinoam, and his girlfriend Jessica. They were all proud of him for saving people, and asked him to come home and not return to the area of the festival. However, Ben was determined to save his friends. He returned and managed to rescue another eight people he didn't know to the Netivot area. Only ten months later we were connected with these people and learned that they were physically healthy, but not mentally. Afterward, he returned to the festival area for a second time in hopes of finding his friends Tom and Michal, even though they told him not to come. Nevertheless, he drove to the last location they sent him. But when he arrived at the location, Tom and Michal were no longer there (probably because their phone battery died, and they had already moved to their next hiding place). Tom and Michal were saved after a complex escape in which Michal was injured. Today, Tom and Michal are safe and sound
 
At that time, Ben knew that Gaya Halifa (Z"L), who worked with him at the Pitmaster, was also at the festival, so he contacted her and understood she was in danger. He asked her to send him her location. Gaya was with her friend Romi Gonen; they were hiding from the terrorists' gunfire in a small bush near the Re'im parking lot. Gaya sent Ben the location, and along with it, she wrote, "Don't come; there are gunshots." Despite this, Ben chose to look for them. He found them and got them into his car. In addition to them, Ben saw Ofir Tzarfati (Z"L) and offered him to join them in the car. Ofir had just made sure that his friends and girlfriend were rescued into another car and there was no space for him to go with them, so he joined Ben's car. The four of them began driving towards Ashkelon on Road 232. Gaya managed to speak with her father, Avi, and tell him that Ben rescued them and they were on their way out, asking him to pick her up from Ashdod. Romi texted her friends and family that a friend of Gaya's from work (Ben) came to rescue them and that they were on their way out
 
After a short drive of a few kilometers at a crazy speed, during which Ben was on the phone with Jessica, he told her that he saw figures ahead and asked, "Are they terrorists? Arabs?" Immediately after, Jessica heard gunfire and screams. At 10:12 AM, at the Alumim Junction, they encountered an ambush by terrorists who slaughtered them. The car stopped, and Ben and Gaya were murdered on the spot. Ofir and Romi were injured and, half an hour later, were kidnapped to Gaza. All this was recorded in a phone call between Romi and her mother, Mirav. After 54 days, we learned that Ofir was murdered in captivity at Shifa Hospital, and his body was found and returned for burial in Israel. As of today, ten months after October 7th, Romi is still held captive by Hamas, and we all pray for her safe return to her family, healthy in body and soul
 
Ben and Gaya were declared missing for five days. After extensive searches and understanding that something terrible had happened, we hoped that perhaps they were injured or even kidnapped, but the bitter news came. Ben planned to continue living life to the fullest and build his life his way, but fate chose for him to die a hero. Ben left behind a grieving family, friends, and a girlfriend who miss him, are proud of him, and love him deeply