Katerina Tavgen Goldman, 26: Animal lover trained seeing-eye dogs
Murdered by Hamas terrorists while fleeing the Supernova music festival on October 7
Katerina “Katya” Tavgen Goldman, 26, from Holon, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 while trying to flee the Supernova music festival.
She was buried in Petah Tikva on October 13. She is survived by her husband, Matan, her parents Natalia and Alexei, and her sister Alexa.
Born in Belarus, Katya moved to Israel with her family at 5 years old and grew up in Holon. She wed Matan Goldman in 2022.
A noted animal lover, her family and friends said she always sought to feed stray cats and dogs and to find homes for animals in need. In her memory, her parents donated bags of pet food to a Holon veterinary clinic to carry on her mission.
According to a eulogy on the Holon municipal website, Katya focused on photography and film in her high school studies, played tennis for many years and completed her mandatory IDF service as a truck driver. After her release, she traveled overseas, including periods in Bulgaria and Italy. Katya dreamed of going back to school and studying psychology, and she also trained seeing-eye dogs.
On Facebook, Diana Pomerantsev eulogized her “friend of so many years. You were sharp, sassy, funny and witty. I loved you like a sister. I always felt a sense of familial kinship with you… I love you and you will stay in my heart forever.”
Katya’s husband, Matan Goldman, wrote on Facebook that there is “not a moment where I don’t think about you and miss you on a level that I can’t describe in words.”
“I feel that pieces of me have been removed and I’m supposed to live this way without them, continuing in the world like an orphan without his heart and soul,” he continued. “My heart is shattered to pieces and my soul is ripped into shreds… you’re the closest person to me, who knows me best, who understands me the most and sees me as who I am, for good and bad.”
Matan wrote that he missed “your magical smile, your rolling laughter, your bravery, your glow. I miss our telepathic connection, the unique bond that above everything was always there. I miss your free spirit, your spontaneity, your dominant and standout personality that was impossible to overlook. I miss your scent, the light in your eyes, your touch, hug, kiss. I miss our stupid jokes and the nonsense we did together, our deep conversations, and the depth each of us brought to our relationship — a relationship that, without it, I feel like nothing.”
