Arik Marziano, 50: Sderot firefighter who was ‘a hero to kids’

Arik Marziano, 50, a firefighter with the Israel Fire and Rescue Services with the rank of sergeant major, from Sderot, was murdered on October 7 by Hamas terrorists who invaded the city.

Arik, a squad commander at the Sderot station, was slated to begin a firefighting shift that Saturday morning. He was about to leave the house when the rocket sirens began, and after a period in his home’s reinforced room, he decided to head out regardless.

He had just arrived at the Sderot station when his daughter told him that he had forgotten a bag of equipment at home — something his family said he never did on any other day. Arik headed back home for the bag, and on the way, his vehicle was hit by an RPG fired by Hamas terrorists. He tried to get out of the car and the terrorists shot him dead on the spot, a murder which was captured on camera.

He was buried in Sderot on October 9. He is survived by his wife, Avital, their four children, Koral, Ron, Shalev and Imri, his mother, Sara and his younger siblings Motti, Merav, Efrat and Shmulik.

Born and raised in Sderot, Arik attended schools in the city, according to a state eulogy. From a young age, he dreamed of becoming a firefighter and saving lives, evening volunteering with the local fire station starting in middle school.

After graduating high school, Arik enlisted in the IDF, serving as a helicopter technician in the Air Force. Following his release, he completed firefighting school in Rishon Lezion and in 1996 he joined the Israel Fire and Rescue Services.

Over the next 27 years, he completed a number of additional certifications, including a squad commander’s course, a fire investigator’s course and at age 40, he completed a bachelor’s degree at Beit Berl College.

In 1998, he married Avital and they raised their four children in Sderot, where he was an active and engaged father figure, his loved ones said.

“My dad was a special guy,” his oldest daughter, Koral, told a local Ashkelon news site. “We’ll always remember him that way. We were super connected to him and we were a very united family.”

Koral said she wanted her father to be remembered “as a wonderful person, a friend to everyone, always helping everyone. He was a hero to kids — he would bring his fire truck to kindergartens, bring the kids to the hose and play with them with the water and the foam. Everyone who knew Dad says only good things about him. I want my future kids to know who their grandfather was.”

Marking six months since he was killed, Arik’s wife, Avital, wrote on Facebook about no longer “feeling your warm and embracing hug, not seeing your captivating smile while you look at our Imriki, not getting a message from you that puts a smile on my face, not smelling your cologne that has spread throughout the whole room.”

Avital said all that is left “are good memories and photos of our beautiful moments in every corner. I look into your kind eyes and I cry. My Arik — I miss you so much. What I wouldn’t give to be with you now and feel protected and safe again. To see you pick up Imri and kiss him with crazy amounts of love, to see you laugh and do nonsense with Koral, to see you give a warm hug to Shalev and Ron.”

She said she is “ripped apart to know that our children won’t get to experience any more beautiful and important moments with you.”

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