Ilay Nachman

From Even Yehuda. Son of Yifat and Eyal, older brother to Ravid, partner of Arbel.
A man of spirit. Sun. Sea. The world. Loved, a joiner of hearts.
He loved surfing, waves and sunsets, hikes, journeys, and interesting connections. Always surrounded by friends, with a winning smile, he knew how to be containing and attentive for others. Ilay was a person of rare charm, influential and meaningful to his family, his friends, and the young people he guided. A lover of people, a guide, a friend for life, a quiet leader, curious and responsible.
Ilay was a graduate of the Hof HaSharon Joint School in Shefayim. He split his time between his studies, in which he excelled, and surfing and teaching surfing. From the sea he drew resilience and persistence, and the ability to set a goal. He always aimed to “catch the wave,” but he also knew how to face the difficulties along the way. The sea was home to him, and a safe shore. A space for the sport he loved so much, for growth and experience, and also for meeting friends.
In the army he served as a fighter in the Paratroopers. During his service he joined a Birthright trip and accompanied resilience journeys at Hashomer Farm, where he was an anchor for soldiers, educating them and encouraging them toward meaningful service.
After his discharge he traveled and surfed around the world, and also went on a mission as a counselor at a Jewish Agency summer camp. He was a meaningful, beloved, and leading counselor. On his return to Israel from his long trip through the United States and South America, he enlisted in the Israel Security Agency. He showed high motivation and ability, a fierce passion, and the will to develop ideas and set goals.
Alongside the seriousness and the drive forward, Ilay was also a jokester, funny and sharp. He always wanted to enjoy what he was doing, to be happy and to make others happy. He loved sports and the gym, playing on a Sony PlayStation, and on Fridays he played board games with friends, using every trick he could to beat the others.
Ilay had a tattoo of a goldfish in a bag on his left leg. For Ilay the bag symbolized home — a place where he could gather himself, pave a path of his own, and connect with himself, in his own quiet, and at the same time always see the other person clearly and reach out a hand. Ilay had a wondrous way of being true to himself while always being there for others and giving everyone a feeling of home.
On his right leg was a tattoo of a disco ball. Ilay believed that “life is a celebration,” and what is more of a celebration than a glittering ball? Every day was the fulfillment of a dream, and that is how he lived, with intensity. He dared and tried, experienced, and seized opportunities. He was an active person who moved things forward. He knew how to work hard, aspired to do more and to excel, and all of it quietly and with humility.
Ilay was murdered on October 7, 2023, in the horses’ shelter at Gama Junction, about a month before his 24th birthday, about two weeks before he was to begin a degree in entrepreneurship and business administration.
Ilay, and his friends Adir Mesika and Matan Ekstein, who fell with him, were part of a group of seven friends who were celebrating at the Nova festival. The three of them, childhood friends, the closest of friends, did not return.
Where there were no people, they were human, compassionate, and active. In a brave decision and with composure, they helped the wounded and risked their lives as they fought terrorists who threatened to enter the shelter and drove them back with their bare hands. In their deaths they saved the lives of three of the women who were with them.
In a split second our world was destroyed — but, like the disco ball, Ilay’s light shines on us.
We will keep spreading it, because life is in the hearts.
With you or without you, there is no end…