Avidan Torgeman, 26: Entrepreneur 'celebrated life in an endless dance'

Murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7

Avidan Gamliel Torgeman, 26, from Masu’ot Yitzhak, was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7.

Avidan attended the rave alongside four childhood friends – Aviel Rahamim, Eldad Bergman, Ido Ben Zino and Oded Abergel, all of whom were also murdered that day.

He was also part of the team, along with Oded, Shoval Yaakov and Dror Bahat who were responsible for setting up the stage and the lighting for the festival, arriving there on Friday to do so.

After working all day, they rested for a few hours Friday night before returning very early Saturday to the site of the festival. At the start of the attack. Avidan and the others hid under the stage they built, where they were all shot dead by Hamas gunmen.

Avidan was buried in Masu’ot Yitzhak on October 10. He is survived by his parents, Michael and Monique, and his six siblings, Doron, Elilea, Kaniel, Prielle, Amior and Tahel.

Born in Bordeaux in southern France, Avidan is the fourth-oldest in his religious family, the “sandwich” child among the seven kids, according to a municipal eulogy. As a young child, his family moved to Israel, settling in Masu’ot Yitzhak, a small community not far from Ashdod.

He was known as a bit of a class clown, always making his classmates giggle and bringing laughter to every occasion. After finishing high school, he enlisted in the IDF, joining the Armored Corps and serving as a tank gunner, including along the Syrian border.

Following his release he worked in a number of different manual jobs, enjoying working with his hands, until he and a friend decided to set up their own business dealing with real estate in the United States. He also loved to drive and got a license for a number of different types of vehicles, including his motorcycle which he loved to ride around the country.

He was close with his six siblings and doted on his many nieces and nephews, his family said.

His sister, Prielle, told the Srugim news site that Avidan “was a person who was all about giving with love, and he managed to achieve quite a few dreams in his short life… He celebrated life in an endless dance.”

“He was a devoted family man and every member of the family got to have a special and different relationship with Avidan,” she added. “The nieces and nephews are Uncle Avidan’s biggest fans, with him they did all the nonsense and fun and every time he’d enter the house, a crowd of them would run to him with a huge smile.”

Prielle said that her brother “had the sensitivity to accept different situations and to help people who needed attention and help — whether that be a social situation or technical assistance with his golden hands, he answered any request for help with a smile and always did it with love and in the best way possible.”

Avidan’s father, Michael, told Ynet that he wasn’t surprised his son was helping out with the production of the Supernova rave, “because that was Avidan. He was someone who always loved to help and simply couldn’t say no.”

Michael said his son “had a very developed emotional intelligence. It helped him develop a large circle of friends and also to succeed in business with a company that deals with real estate investments in the US. I will remember his sensitivity, his caring, his endless love for his family. He loved life so much, he made sure to take advantage of every moment in it.”