After terrorists invaded Kibbutz Be’eri on the morning of October 7, 2023, three family members from Otniel in Samara – Capt. (res.) Elhanan Kalmanson, his brother Menahem Kalmanson and their nephew Itiel – drove to the south to rescue the members of the kibbutz from the inferno. The found a military armored vehicle abandoned by the side of the road and with it, rescued dozens of men, women, children and elderly people under enemy fire. They moved moving them to a secured location, returning to the kibbutz multiple times to save more lives. After more than 14 hours of intense and relentless rescue efforts, Elhanan Kalmanson was shot by a terrorist hiding inside a house and later succumbed to his wounds. May his memory be a blessing.
