Those We Have Lost

David Kazir, 72: Raiser of pigeons and ‘uniting center’ of his family

Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7

David 'Katchko' Kazir (Facebook)
David 'Katchko' Kazir (Facebook)

David “Katchko” Kazir, 72, was murdered by Hamas terrorists near his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.

He is survived by his wife, Ayelet, his five children, Anat, Ehud, Yanay, Orya and Elya, and many grandchildren, as well as his siblings Dalya and Moshe. He was buried in Kibbutz Ein Gev on October 18.

His friend Ariel Gabay told the Davar newspaper that Kazir got up early to feed his fleet of carrier pigeons, “and then set out on a jeep trip. He apparently heard the sirens and tried to return home. The terrorists murdered him.”

His family noted that he fought in the Yom Kippur War, was a devoted family man, dedicated kibbutznik and farmer and was best known in his retirement for raising his collection of carrier pigeons — with images of his beloved birds even engraved onto his headstone.

His brother, Moshe, spoke at the ceremony marking 30 days since he was killed: “My beloved brother David. I thought that you would always be with us, that I could always tell you that I love you and that I’m proud that you’re my brother. I was wrong! When you were killed I understood how dear you were to me, what a unique and wonderful person you were, a lover of others, with a huge heart.”

הגלויה היומית. קצ'קו. איש היונים מכפר עזה.✨אתמול כתבה לי ענת:"היי שושקה, רוצה לספר לך על אבא שלי, דויד קצ'קו קציר,…

Posted by Shoshke Engelmayer on Saturday, February 10, 2024

In a memorial video for Channel 13, his wife, Ayelet Benedek Kazir, noted that while everyone called him “Katchko,” she always called him “Mami Dov.”

“My Mami Dov. I am empty. Things are bad for me,” she said. “Why am I speaking to a coffin or to a mound of dirt. I need your quiet, your calming hands, your kind eyes. The quiet. The quiet.”

Ayelet said that “at least you left me with the knowledge that your life’s work, our family, was complete. In literary terms it’s called ‘the extended family’ — you were the uniting center, and we gathered around you with great love. We are all tied together to each other — the kids, grandkids and me. You are the love of my love, you are the love of our lives.”

His daughter, Elya, recorded her own farewell video for Channel 13, reading the message she sent him for his 72nd birthday just a few months before he was killed — which she read aloud at his funeral.

“To the most perfect father I could ask for,” she read. “Know how much we love and care about each other. You taught us, you and mom, that family and siblings is the most important thing, and it’s a way of life for all of us. Our connection is magical and loving, and much of that is due to you.”

She said that as a couple, her parents have “shown us what love is, what is sensitivity and caring, what is patience and tolerance, and most importantly the importance of two or three breaths before you blow up. My Abush, I always wanted to be like you — kind, modest, steadfast. You’re not a man of words, you’re a man of actions, and in everything you do, there is a huge heart that moves me… you are truly a source of inspiration.”

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here.

Most Popular
read more: