Holocaust Survivor learns great-grandson killed in Gaza while visiting death camp

In a tragic twist of fate connecting two eras of Jewish suffering, 96-year-old Holocaust survivor Magda Baratz learned upon returning to Israel that her great-grandson, Master Sgt. (Res.) Asaf Kafri, had been killed in Gaza. Magda was attending a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Bergen-Belsen, the concentration camp where she was once imprisoned, when the family tragedy unfolded.

Magda travelled to Germany as a guest of honour, accompanied by her grandson Haggai, Asaf’s father. As they commemorated the memory of victims at the site of unimaginable suffering, they remained unaware that Asaf, a 26-year-old reservist in the IDF’s 79th Battalion of the 14th Armoured Brigade, had fallen in battle. According to IDF reports, around 1:45 p.m., a Hamas cell launched an anti-tank missile and opened sniper fire at Israeli forces stationed at Outpost 39 in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. Asaf was fatally struck by sniper fire, and three additional soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously.

Asaf, the eldest of four brothers, Yoav, Itay, and Idan, was pursuing an engineering degree at Ariel University after graduating from Herzog High School in Beit Hashmonai. Throughout his youth, he had been deeply involved in the Tzofim youth movement’s Shevet Lahav chapter. His aunt, Hadas, described Asaf’s unshakable sense of duty: “This was his fourth round of reserve duty. On October 7, he immediately put on his uniform and went south. He didn’t hesitate for a second. He felt it was his generation’s responsibility to defend the country and bring the hostages home.”

Hadas also recalled Asaf’s last hours, sharing that he had spoken with his partner, Lihi, shortly before his death. “He was in and out of Gaza constantly. Lihi comforted herself that as long as no one came knocking on the door, he was fine, but eventually, the knock came.”

Reflecting on Magda’s return to Bergen-Belsen, Hadas said, “She saw her visit as a victory, returning to the place where she almost died, but this time with a thriving family in Israel. It was her personal triumph over history.”

Asaf’s funeral is set for Sunday at the cemetery in the Gezer Regional Council. Council head Rotem Yadlin expressed the community’s profound sorrow, stating, “The residents of the Gezer Regional Council stand with the Kafri family and the Beit Hashmonai community in their immense grief. May his memory be a blessing.”

Master Sgt. Asaf Kafri’s life stands as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for Jewish survival and freedom. May his memory forever be a blessing.