Laurie Vardi, 24: Coldplay fan and dog lover with a sweet tooth

Laurie Vardi, 24, from Ra’anana, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7.

Laurie and her boyfriend, Nissim Gimmy, left the scene of the rave in their car when the rocket fire began, and sought safety in a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Alumim. Nissim said the terrorists threw grenades inside, which blinded him in one eye and knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, he said, Laurie was not there, and he understood that she had left the shelter to get air due to the heavy smoke.

Nissim said he went out to look for her, and found her shot dead, lying with her eyes open just outside the bomb shelter. He said he made the difficult decision to leave her body behind and escape with his life.

Laurie was buried on October 12 in Ra’anana. She is survived by her parents, Racheli and Dominic, and her siblings Ariel and Eitan.

Nissim said the couple were so looking forward to Supernova, in part because “Laurie worked every weekend… She was such a hardworking woman, she was prepared to do everything to reach her endless goals,” he wrote on Instagram.

“My Laurie, the crazy love I had for you has only increased 10-fold since October 7, 2023,” he wrote. “You gave so much light to those around you. So many people smiled with you, laughed and enjoyed your silliness. The sweetest silliness in the world. On the other hand, you’re incredibly smart, full of charisma and high self-esteem, one who knows how to achieve everything her heart desires. Truly, everything. You have a villa in my heart… and it will stay there forever.”

Laurie and Nissim lived together in Herzliya with their two beloved dogs, Chelsea and Quick. Her friends said she loved sweets, in particular chocolate, and had a soft spot for warm chocolate souffle. She was a huge fan of the band Coldplay, and even had a tattoo of their lyrics, “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you,” from their song “Yellow.”

She worked at a number of jobs, including as a personal trainer, at a beauty salon and modeling. She also loved racecar driving, and even got a special license to do so on a closed course in the south.

Her close friend, Shahaf Bar Siman Tov, wrote on Instagram that Laurie “is definitely dancing up there, I’m sure of it, my sister.”

“I miss calling you, seeking your advice on every bit of nonsense, laughing and going crazy like only we knew how,” she added. “Eating chocolate and gummy candies with you until our stomach hurt, and just being with you, next to you. You will be my best friend forever, and I know that you are watching over me and taking care of me from up there.”

On Passover, her mother, Racheli, noted that a year earlier, “Lauritush and I celebrated Seder night by the book, we read the whole Haggadah, we understood it, we searched on Google what we didn’t understand, we passed the Seder plate over our heads like Moroccans do… we ate, we laughed.”

“Why is this night different from all other nights? Laurie is no longer with me. But always in my heart.”

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