Oleg Lifshitz, 60: New immigrant from Ukraine who loved fishing

Oleg Lifshitz, 60, of Ashkelon, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while out on a fishing trip on October 7.

Early that morning, Oleg set out with his son-in-law, Vitali Logvinchenko, to go fishing at a small reservoir near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, a regular pastime for the pair.

When the rocket fire began, they quickly packed up and decided to head to Ashkelon, where a few of their relatives were camping, according to Haaretz. Along the way they were shot at in their car and decided to jump out and hide in the bushes.

Oleg sent a friend their GPS location, at an intersection just outside Kibbutz Rei’m. The pair were both shot dead by Hamas terrorists. Oleg’s body was only discovered days later, and Vitali’s a week after that.

Oleg was buried in Ashdod. He is survived by his wife, Yelena, their three children, Yana, Lilya and Stanislas, and a grandson, Jaroslav.

Oleg was born in Ukraine and attended schools in Kherson, later becoming a teacher, according to a state eulogy.

He served in the Soviet Army in the Artillery Corps, specializing in rocket fire. After his release he taught technical studies at a university in Kherson.

After his first marriage ended, Oleg and Yelena wed in 1993, raising their three children in Kherson. In later years Oleg worked as a driver and owned a fleet of buses.

At his soul he was an artist, dabbling in drawing, painting and sculpting, and he led a arts and crafts club for children at a community center in Kherson. In his free time, he loved fishing — the hobby he was pursuing just minutes before his death. He also loved spending time outdoors, baking for his family and friends and he doted on his 5-year-old grandson, reading him books in Ukrainian.

In 2019, the family moved to Israel but later returned to Ukraine. According to Haaretz, Oleg stayed in Ukraine after the Russian invasion in 2022 in order to care for his elderly parents, but he was arrested by the Russians, held for about a week and tortured.

According to the state eulogy, during the war Oleg helped greatly in volunteer efforts to deliver food to those afraid to leave their houses, hand out bread in the streets and care for the elderly. At the end of 2022, after Kherson was recaptured by Ukraine, Oleg and his family decided to return to Israel, setting in Ashkelon.

He worked at a mechanic shop in the city and immediately began to fit in and make friends, putting his years of technical studies to use.

“Oleg was a happy guy, a kind man who loved to help others and take care of everyone,” read his eulogy. “He had many friends and he was loved by everyone. In Kherson he was well known as a philanthropist, volunteer and donor to many causes. Everyone in the area knew him and his family learned many stories about his activities after his death.”

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