Oren Stern, 49: Surfer and doting uncle was ‘the salt of the earth’
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of Netiv Ha’asara on October 7
Oren Stern, 49, from Netiv Ha’asara, was killed on October 7 battling the Hamas invasion of the town near Gaza.
As a member of the community’s local security squad, he was posthumously recognized as a fallen soldier with the rank of major in the reserves.
Oren set out that morning with his friend and neighbor, Danny Vovk, to fend off the Hamas attack. The pair fought — outnumbered and outarmed — against the invaders until they were both killed.
Oren’s body was not identified for more than 10 days. His funeral was held in Ge’a on October 19, and he was buried in Netiv Ha’asara. He is survived by his parents, Tova and Moshe, and his brother Eyal.
Born and raised in Moshav Ge’a near Ashkelon, Oren worked for the Rav Bariach lock company, and was a well-known and active community member in Netiv Ha’asara. He loved to surf and play basketball, even tried his hand at kayaking and skiing, and was a doting uncle to his nieces and nephews. During his military service, he served as a combat engineer and later studied engineering at the Sapir Academic College in Sderot.
His childhood friend, Keren Madmoni, wrote on Facebook of their memories together in high school, where “you were the Ashkenazi hottie, a gentleman on the one hand, intelligent, wise” who pursued the hardest track in every class “without any effort… and on the other hand a prankster, who ran with the rough and tough and funny crowd.”
“You were beautiful both inside and out, taking care of everyone, if they’d get in fights you were always there to back them up,” she added. “Always supporting and cheering on — you’d go to Zikim with your tractors. Wow, how much nonsense you got up to, how much basketball you played, how many trips you went on, how many injuries, and thankfully they were moderate.”
“You were different from me,” Keren added, “quiet, noble, modest, I appreciated you for your concern, your integrity, your diligence, your realness — you were never about impressing anyone.”
His sister-in-law, Mali, wrote on Facebook that “it’s not logical, it simply can’t be that we won’t see you again. You were so filled with only good, full of endless generosity, a man who didn’t know how to say no!”
“A good man, modest, the salt of the earth with an eternal bashful smile,” she continued. “I want to thank you for who you were to Eyal, to my children, to me — the beloved uncle, the funny guy who was always caring and present, and also in your death you cared for others and not yourself.”
“You and Danny saved the neighborhood, you were always together, even in your bitter death,” she added. “You will be missed in every moment of our lives… You’ll stay forever in our hearts and we will always talk and speak about you.”
