The Israeli volunteer-based NGO Yad Sarah facilitated an emotional tour for dozens of wheelchair users to memorial sites related to the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Among them was Tal Kupershtein, father of hostage Bar Kupershtein, who visited the last place his son was seen before being abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip.
As part of the organization’s “Accessible Pathways” program, the tour enabled individuals with mobility impairments to pay tribute at several commemorative sites, including the destroyed Sderot police station, the Nova music festival grounds in Re’im and the “car cemetery” at Moshav Tekuma for more than 1,560 vehicles destroyed on that day.
Volunteers from Yad Sarah’s fleet of accessible vans transported the 40 participants from their homes to the Western Negev; many had been unable to visit the sites until now.
The group first arrived in Sderot—just 12 kilometers (about seven miles) from Gaza—paying homage to the hard-hit city and the 70 people killed there on Oct. 7. The group screened a commemorative video at the Sderot Resilience Center.
They proceeded to the Memorial and Heroes Park at the former site of the city’s police station, which was destroyed after a deadly gun battle between Israeli security forces and terrorists.
Participants then traveled to the nearby Nova memorial, gathering as IDF helicopters evacuated eight newly released hostages back to Israel. There, Kupershtein shared the story of his son. Instead of fleeing, Bar—then a 21-year-old security guard—stayed behind to help the wounded, shuttling victims to safety four times before he was taken captive.
The elder Kupershtein, who has used a wheelchair since a roadside accident five years ago, has spent the past year regaining his ability to speak to advocate for his son’s return. He traversed each destination along the tour holding a poster of Bar. His plea to the group and all who approached him: “Do not stop until they are all free.”
During a moment of prayer, he was at the center, surrounded by supporters. “Every hostage who returns gives us hope,” one participant shared, “but every moment they remain there feels like an eternity.”
Upon leaving the Nova grounds, the group proceeded to the Tekuma “car cemetery,” where a tour guide recalled the events of that day and the stories of several victims, including one saved by Bar Kuperstein.
There, another participant, Yael Bibi, was able to see, for the first time the car belonging to her son, IDF Maj. Oriel Bibi from Shlomit, who was killed fighting terrorists near the Gaza border.
The 30-year-old husband and father of two volunteered for Magen David Adom and earned the army’s prestigious title of “Chief of Staff’s Distinguished Recruit.”
“It closes a loose end to see the last known place he was alive,” she said.
‘An opportunity to remember’
The trip concluded in Netivot, where participants laid flowers and offered their prayers at the tomb of the great Moroccan Kabbalist, the “Baba Sali.”
“We have organized many emotional tours,” said Yaron Aviv, national director of Yad Sarah’s Accessible Transportation Program. “But this trip is more than that. It’s an opportunity to remember, to honor and to ensure that no one is forgotten.”
Yad Sarah’s “Accessible Pathways” program, led by volunteer tour guides, allows people with disabilities to visit places that are often inaccessible to them.
“For many individuals with mobility impairments, most travel is limited to medical appointments,” Aviv explained. “But they, too, deserve to explore, to experience and to feel a sense of belonging. Through our year-round tours across the country, we are making that possible.”
This tour wasn’t just about accessibility; it was about sending a message.
“It was important for us that Tal lead this tour,” said Aviv. “He is a man whose physical limitations do not define him, a father who refuses to remain silent.”