Liraz Nisan, 20: Partygoer who 'celebrated life at every opportunity'

Murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7

Liraz Nisan, 20, from Karmiel, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7.

Liraz attended the rave with her best friend, Sofia Bongart. When the rocket fire began, they fled via car and decided to stop and seek safety in a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Be’eri.

In her final texts around 8 a.m., Liraz begged a relative to call the police and said they were hiding in the shelter and trying to stay quiet. Liraz and Sofia were both murdered alongside many others when the terrorists threw grenades inside the bomb shelter and opened fire on the partygoers.

Liraz was buried in Karmiel on October 13. She is survived by her parents, Ronit and Nadav, and her younger brother Liron.

She had recently finished her army service, and had hoped to continue to university, according to a state eulogy.

Her younger brother, Liron, wrote on an Instagram memorial page that “the hole that opened in my heart will never be filled.”

“You, my love, my dear, were pure, a magical soul, you knew how to give only love. Anger and hatred were wasted emotions to you,” he wrote. “You always spread light and joy. You held on to life with both hands, embraced life, enjoyed life.”

Liron said he was struggling to understand “how I can continue without you, with the knowledge that you won’t be a part of my life any longer. You’re my other half, my best friend, my only sister. You always worried about me, called to check up on me… My one prayer is that you didn’t suffer, you weren’t afraid, that you knew how much we all love you and will miss you forever.”

In a eulogy on her high school website, Liraz’s mother, Ronit, wrote that “everyone loved you an abnormal amount! Of course — how could they not? The smile never left your face.”

Liraz could be characterized best by “her constant, shy smile. Loving others was for her the highest value. She had friends of all kinds. Liraz always found the positives in everyone and didn’t focus on the flaws.”

A quiet, shy kid, as a teenager, “She blossomed,” her mother wrote. “She changed. She loved to be around people, was always with her friends, wanted things to be happy and interesting.”

She loved to mark her birthday in a big way, said Ronit. “She would celebrate for a full week — it was a real holiday for her… Liraz’s motto in life was that you need to celebrate life at every opportunity.”