A Holocaust Survivor and the Kidnapped Grandson

“I have two stories,” the woman told me. “The first is the Holocaust. The second is Oct. 7.”

I met Bella Haim in southern Israel. Bella was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust with her family after the escaped to a forest and slipped into another country. When she came to Israel she chose to live in one of the kibbutzim down south, close to both Egypt and Gaza.

I was dreading to hear her October 7 story, partly because I already knew how it ended. It made major headlines around the world in December.

Bella’s grandson, Yotam Haim, was kidnapped on what Israelis call the Black Sabbath. The family didn’t actually know of his fate for 10 days. Yotam was a musician and so the family played music to comfort themselves when they met together awaiting any news.

After 10 days the authorities determined Yotam, 28, had been kidnapped to Gaza from his home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Hamas’ own videos show him being led, shirtless, and surrounded by a hoard of terrorists to a vehicle in a field. At first Bella refused to watch the video of his capture but eventually she needed to and was glad she did. She described seeing him with his head held high being led by two arms.

“I understood how strong he was. He was like Samson and I was sure that he was going to knock down the walls in Gaza and destroy the Philistines yet again,” she said.

Bella, 86, gained strength from her grandson and became an active advocate. She appeared at the Knesset several times to lobby for a deal that would bring the hostages’ release.

One night in mid-December, Bella dreamt of Yotam. She decided to take the dream as positive and she dressed up for Shabbat dinner at her kibbutz dining hall. Everyone remarked at how good she looked after months of angst. She replied, “Its because Yotam is coming back. I dreamt it.”

That very night, however, she got the news that Yotam did escape his Hamas captors along with two other Israeli hostages—but then was killed by Israeli soldiers in a tragic case of mistaken identity. (You can read about Yotam’s life and death here.) I then met Shosh (short for Shoshana) who also lost a grandchild, her granddaughter Shir, who along with four others who escaped the Nova concert massacre, were gunned down right outside the entrance of their kibbutz. (Here is Shir’s story.)

These grandparents suffered a double loss—one for themselves and also for their own children who lost their kids.

NINE MONTHS LATER

This week marked nine months exactly since Oct. 7 and the focus here in Israel was on whether any of the hostages might be pregnant through rape. Though reports of sexual abuse have been questioned outside of Israel, researchers here have documented several cases and I spoke with Yovel who heard a rape right outside the overturned car where she was trapped for five hours.

The woman who was raped was shot and killed after, Yovel told me. Police later confirmed her story, she said.

I interviewed the beautiful Yovel—whose name means jubilee—in February and was aghast at the horror and loss she endured. Watch her compelling story here:

A Holocaust Survivor and the Kidnapped Grandson

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