Evgeny Galsky, 34: Firefighter was training for a mountain bike race
Killed by Hamas terrorists on his way home from Netivot to Kibbutz Erez on October 7
Evgeny Galsky, 34, a firefighter from Kibbutz Erez, was killed on October 7 by Hamas terrorists on his way home from Netivot.
Evgeny had just finished a shift as a firefighter that Saturday morning when the Hamas attack began. Worried about his girlfriend home alone in Kibbutz Erez, Evgeny headed to their home from his shift in Netivot and was slain by Hamas terrorists along the way, near the Sha’ar Hanegev Junction.
He was buried in Beersheba on October 8. He is survived by his mother, Ludmilla, sister Evelin (Eva) and his girlfriend, Rotem. Evgeny was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Israel Fire and Rescue Services.
Evgeny joined the Fire and Rescue Services in July 2020 and underwent a number of training courses and certifications, including training as a paramedic. He was studying nutrition at the Ashkelon Academic College and was also a personal trainer, with a love of heavy metal music.
He lived in Sderot until he moved with his girlfriend and his beloved dog, Martin, together to Kibbutz Erez, near the Gaza border, only a few months before he was killed.
His top hobby was bike riding, and he was set to train that Saturday for an upcoming mountain biking competition. Evgeny was one of a number of active bikers killed during the Hamas attack, including Tomer Shpirer, who he was slated to train with later that day.
His girlfriend, Rotem Rada, asked the Strauss company to create a special memorial line of Evgeny’s favorite drink, their Yotvata vanilla protein shake, describing him as “a brave firefighter, a man of mountains and bike riding, adventurous, humble and full of endless generosity. Thank you for teaching us to always stay in motion.”
Evgeny’s friend and fellow bike rider, Haim Medina, wrote on Facebook about their “shared bike rides, and what a strong and special rider Evgeny was, and what a big heart he had.”
His friend Yulia Polishuk wrote on Facebook that she “longs to speak with you, to hear you, to see you laugh and to know with a heart bursting with pride that I had some role in it.”
Yulia recalled once visiting him when he lived in Ashkelon, “going out on the balcony, you showed me the sea with a smile. Martin was running in between our legs, you breathed deeply and said that you felt whole… that you found your niche in life as a firefighter, how full of motivation you were to advance and to take charge.”
Over the years, Yulia wrote, “My heart and my head stored every memory of you, even the most minor… I will always remember you, talk about you with a smile and be thankful for every moment I knew a man like this… a good friend, sensitive to those around you, moral, unique and special.”
