Mati Weiss

From Kibbutz Be’eri.
Mati was born in Holon to Zizi and Marco Alters, who immigrated to Israel from Turkey. She was the wife of Amir and mother to Ran and Michal (twins), Yuval, and Oren.

An educator in every fiber of her being. She was a teacher, homeroom educator, principal, and consultant to school principals. She was deeply involved in developing pedagogical content, learning materials, and educational tools. She further specialized in personal coaching, accompanied school principals, and led the Arts Learning Communities project. She was an impressive and charismatic person, serving as a model and inspiration to all who met and worked with her.

Mati and Amir were blessed to love one another deeply. Despite their differences – he was introverted and quiet, and she was energetic and active – they complemented each other and did everything together. Both loved the songs of this land, and Amir also loved classical music. They shared a love for nature, for landscapes, and for the open expanses of the Negev. The clearest family memory of their children is “the picnic among the anemones.” Every year in February, the month in which they were both born, Mati and Amir would go out with their children and grandchildren to the blooming anemone fields of the south and celebrate there with a family picnic.

The most meaningful life’s work of both mother and father was to maintain a united and strong family. Thanks to them, all of us returned to live in Be’eri.

Mati and Amir had ten grandchildren, whom they cared for with great devotion and joy. Their home served as a second home for the grandchildren. They devoted all their time and energy to them and had a special and close relationship with each one.

In recent years, after retiring, Mati and Amir traveled the world. These were their best years. They embraced life fully and wanted to see everything. They planned to travel, to see, and to experience. They had many more dreams – which were cruelly cut short.

On October 7, 2023, Mati Weiss was at home in Kibbutz Be’eri with her partner, Amir. During the attack, terrorists broke into their home and wounded them inside the safe room. Mati did everything in her power to call for help – she spoke with her son Yuval, who was fighting as part of the kibbutz emergency squad, and tried to contact additional parties to send military assistance. Their final words were words of deep love for their children and grandchildren. Toward 10:00 in the morning, the terrorists took Mati and Amir out of their home and led them, wounded, toward the western exit gate and the kibbutz fence. There, they were shot and killed.

“They went together,” their children say, “and if there is anything to take comfort in, it is that neither of them had to live without the other. They were best friends, and they loved one another. Mom always used to say: I don’t know what I would do without him.”

Amir and Mati, Mati and Amir, beloved and pleasant. In their lives and in their deaths, they were not parted.

May their memory be a blessing.