Marina and Igor Losev, 60 & 58: Ukrainian natives rooted in kibbutz

Marina Losev, 60, and her husband Igor Losev, 58, were murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Beeri on October 7.

The couple, natives of Ukraine, were married for 35 years, and lived for almost three decades in the kibbutz.

They are survived by their only daughter Katya, son-in-law Dima and granddaughter Kira.

Katya said she spoke to them on that Saturday morning, and Marina whispered that terrorists had entered their home. But at 10 a.m., the connection was lost. A week later, she was informed of their deaths.

An internment ceremony was held on November 9 at a hotel near the Dead Sea where kibbutz residents were evacuated.

According to a eulogy on the kibbutz website, Marina and Igor were both born in Zaporizhzhia, on the banks of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. They married in April 1988 and Katya was born a year later. When the USSR started falling apart, Igor and Marina decided to immigrate to Israel, inspired by the possibility of living in the secular and socialist environment of a kibbutz.

Leaving their families and friends behind, the three immigrated to Israel in October 1994, moving into a caravan that was waiting for them at Kibbutz Be’eri. Marina worked at the printing press of the kibbutz, loved reading — especially detective novels — and loved looking after the plants at her home, her cats and stray cats. Igor started as a dishwasher at the kibbutz and then moved on to work at the printing house. He carefully tended the mango and citrus trees he planted in the yard of their home, the eulogy read.

In a statement shared by the kibbutz, Katya said that because she was an only child, Marina tended to be overly protective.

“At every stage of my life she helped me, and I could trust her,” she said. “There is no one who did not receive her discreet and devoted care. Everyone knew she could be trusted.”

Her father, Katya said, was an introvert, a quiet man who made good friends with his co-workers. He loved life in the kibbutz, but he also missed Russian culture. He and Katya used to watch Russian-dubbed cartoons together. He loved to work with his hands and repair things. Both her parents instilled in her a love for studies and a will to succeed, she said.

“We were a small family, and now we are even a smaller one,” Katya said. “Now the kibbutz will be my family, and that of Kira and Dima.”

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