Ruth Haran Herzman, a Holocaust survivor who escaped Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, died overnight Saturday at age 90.
The Romanian-born survivor hid as terrorists banged on her door in Kibbutz Be’eri during the assault.
Her son Avshalom Haran was killed in the attack, while seven family members were taken hostage by Hamas.
Among those abducted to Gaza were her daughter-in-law Dr. Shoshan Haran and granddaughter Adi Shoham, 38, along with Adi’s husband, Tal, and their children, Nave, 8, and Yahel, 3. Herzman’s youngest daughter, Sharon Avigdori, and granddaughter Noam, then aged 12, were also taken to the Strip.
Shoshan, Adi and her children, Sharon and Noam were freed in November 2023 after being held for 50 days. Tal Shoham returned to Israel in February 2025 after 505 days in captivity.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to Herzman in an X post Sunday, praising her courage. “Evil and hatred crossed her path more than once in her life, and yet she bravely chose to keep fighting for her family, with hope and tireless strength,” he wrote.
In an interview with JNS in November 2023, Herzman compared Oct. 7 to experiencing the Holocaust in her youth.
“This is a second Holocaust for me,” she said.
