Shomeric Beacon of Light: Liat Atzili

This week, we shine our Shomeric Beacon of Light on a remarkable individual whose courage, resilience, and dedication to education inspire us all: Liat Atzili. Liat embodies the spirit of Hashomer Hatzair, standing as a testament to our values of education, community, and the unyielding belief in humanity's potential to bring light to even the darkest moments.  

"Hi, I'm Liat. I’m 50 years old. I am from Kibbutz Nir Oz. For the past year I’ve been living in Kiryat Gat.

I will always belong to Nir Oz, where Aviv, my partner and I built our life and our family. We had three children, Ofri Neta and Aya. We were an integral part of this small community - me as an educator and Aviv as a farmer and artist.

On October 7th our kibbutz was attacked, occupied and destroyed. About a quarter of its residents were murdered or kidnapped, including me.

The days in Gaza were days of despair and endless worry for family and friends but there was a lot of time to think...

I thought about the people I love, about home, about returning to school and my students. 

I returned after 54 days in Hamas captivity.

The next day I was informed that Aviv had been killed in the battle of Nir Oz. Aviv was a wonderful person. During the last year of his life he fulfilled dream after dream, the greatest of all was to reveal his art to the world. Our children adored him and I feel that I was very privileged to share my life with him.

Shortly after the end of the shiva, I went back to work. I felt that my new titles: widow, massacre survivor and returned hostage didn’t suit me.

I am an educator! That's what I know how to do. But I realized I had another role, to take part in the efforts to rebuild my kibbutz. 

I always try to convey to my students the message that we all have a duty to look around us and see what needs to be done, what needs to be fixed. That every person has the power to change the present and shape the future.

I believe with all my heart that there is a chance that from the tragedy that has befallen us we will succeed in building a better future."

Her story is one of hope and determination, a living example of our shared belief that education is the key to repairing and reshaping the world. Through her unwavering commitment, Liat reminds us that even in the face of darkness, we all have the power to illuminate a path forward.