Dima Sorokin, 50: Devoted grandfather and former ice hockey player
Murdered by Hamas terrorists on his way home from work near Sderot on October 7
Dimitri (Dima) Sorokin, 50, from Ashkelon, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on his way home from work near Sderot on October 7.
Dima finished work at a plastics factory in Sderot at 6 a.m. that Saturday, and was planning to head home to Ashkelon. When the rocket fire began, Dima decided to wait it out, but around 7:50 he chose to try and get home regardless, according to a state eulogy. He got to the Sha’ar Hanegev Junction and was ambushed by two Hamas terrorists lying in wait, who shot him dead at close range.
He was considered missing for a week before his family was informed that his body had been found. In that time they unfortunately accidentally came across a video online showing his murder.
He was buried on October 16 in Ashkelon. He is survived by his wife, Margarita, their daughter, Ira, and granddaughter Talia, as well as his mother Olga and younger brother, Vitaly.
Dima was born in Chelyabinsk, in southwestern Russia. After high school he attended technical school and was licensed as a train driver. He was also very sporty, playing ice hockey with a local professional team, his loved ones said, and also was certified in parachuting.
In 1993, when he was 20, he married Margarita, and in 1995 their daughter Ira was born. In 1998, the young family decided to move to Israel and settled in Ashkelon, where they adopted two cats that Dima loved.
He found work at a plastics factory in Sderot where he remained for 21 years, until the day he was killed. The company said he had “a strong work ethic, was a sharp man who led his team professionally and thoroughly.”
When his granddaughter was born, Dima devoted himself to the role of grandfather and loved to play games with her and take her to the beach, his family said.
“Dima was the backbone of the family, you could always rely on and lean on him, he was a responsible husband, devoted and caring, and always took care of his family,” his wife, Margarita wrote online. “We were supposed to celebrate our 30th anniversary that month. We are still trying to come to terms with this difficult and painful news.”
