Those we have lost

Roee Munder, 50: Kibbutz electrician was a devout Liverpool fan

Murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7

Roee Munder (Courtesy)
Roee Munder (Courtesy)

Roee Munder, 50, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

The morning of the attack, he posted to his Facebook page several times about the rocket fire, with his last post coming at 7:21 a.m. His family said his home was completely destroyed in a fire set during the onslaught.

The same day, his parents, Ruti and Avraham Munder, were taken hostage to Gaza, as was his sister, Keren, and her son, Ohad. Ruti, Keren and Ohad were freed from captivity on November 24 as part of a weeklong truce deal. His mother and sister learned while listening to the radio in captivity that Roee had been killed.

In August 2024, Avraham‘s body was recovered by IDF troops and returned to Israel, where his family was informed that he had been killed while in captivity.

Roee was initially buried in Kibbutz Metzer on October 21, 2023, without any of his immediate family present to mourn. On August 21, 2024, Roee was reburied in Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his father, Avraham, in a joint ceremony.

Roee is survived by his mother, Ruti and sister Keren.

A eulogy from Kibbutz Nir Oz noted that he worked on the kibbutz as an electrician, and also pursued photography as a hobby.

“Your caring and your sensitivity stood out greatly… When you loved something, you were devoted to it with all your heart,” the kibbutz said. “You were a sworn soccer fan, especially Liverpool, which you traveled to support anywhere you could go.”

At his funeral, his friend and fellow Liverpool devotee Rotem Zmora described Roee as a “photographer, storyteller, footballer and crazy, annoying uncle that always has weird jokes but loves you unconditionally.”

“He wore his heart on his sleeve and spoke completely unfiltered. You didn’t always understand what he wanted to say or in what context it was said, but that was part of his special charm,” he said. As fellow fans, “We cried at defeats, and we cried at triumphs. On one hand, tears of sadness. On the other, tears of joy. I had the pleasure of celebrating and crying with you, screaming and dancing, going crazy and going wild.”

“Thank you for the privilege of calling you a friend,” Rotem added. “I want to hear more of your calls to radio stations asking why they played this specific song when there’s a better version. I want more of those endless arguments. I want the next meetup, the next burger, the next beer. I want more. And it’s gone.”

After returning from Hamas captivity, Keren Munder, Roee’s older sister, penned a tribute to her little brother, describing him as a loving and inquisitive person, who suffered with ADHD, hyperactivity and neurofibromatosis, but learned to deal with life’s challenges, and explored a wide range of interests.

“You were a modest person,” she wrote. “You invested in the things you loved — to watch soccer games and live concerts, to buy photography equipment, bikes and gardening tools. You loved to travel to visit friends and family, and you took such good care of your home that was destroyed and burned by monsters.”

Roee sometimes felt walled in by the small kibbutz, “and you developed strong opinions of your own and stood your ground even when it seemed that you just loved to argue, you just wanted people to listen to your worldview, to see you as you are and not just hear you,” Keren added.

“You had a huge sense of justice and were sensitive, with a big heart, ready to help and do things for others with love and dedication,” she continued. He was a devoted son to his parents, a loving brother and uncle, and “we will remember you always with love as a warm and loving family member who maintained ties with everyone. We will say goodbye to you with agonized longing and with a line from the song of your beloved Liverpool: ‘You will never walk alone.'”

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