Ron Shemer

From Tel Aviv–Yafo.
Son of Sigal and Oren. He was born on the 11th of Nisan, 5760 (April 16, 2000). Older brother to Bari. He was born and raised in Lod.

He was a successful child—in his studies and in sports. He always loved to be active. Differences of color, religion, or nationality did not matter to him; in his eyes, everyone was equal. Ron loved everyone and was a friend to all. He had a great love for animals, especially dogs, and for the family’s pit bull, Tyson.

At the age of 16, he took part in a business entrepreneurship project and, together with his friends, tried to invent a patent that would protect cyclists on the road. At 17, he traveled as part of the “Young Ambassadors” program to speak at the United Nations, where he advocated for Israel, unity, and life in the State of Israel.

During his army service, he was affected by a bacterium that damaged his heart, yet despite this, he continued to serve the country until it became life-threatening.

He planned to study genetic engineering and to find cures for incurable diseases.

During the COVID-19 period, Ron worked at the MyHeritage laboratory—he cared deeply about contributing in every possible way. After the pandemic, he traveled to a camp in Pennsylvania, United States, where he mentored Jewish youth for three months.

His humility and kindness drew people to him like a magnet. A young man who loved the world and cared to protect it.

For nearly a year, Ron traveled around the world. During this time, he was bitten by a snake in the United States, robbed in Colombia, swam with crocodiles in the Amazon, swam with sharks, and took part in every kind of extreme sport—from skydiving to bungee jumping. He played with children in Zanzibar, surfed in Sri Lanka, played footvolley in Brazil, and traveled with friends in Argentina. Throughout, he made sure to remind everyone how beautiful and perfect our world is. He loved sitting with friends every Friday at sunset and loved photographing beautiful landscapes. Our phones are filled with views—sunsets, rainbows, animals, and other wondrous creations of nature.

His mother, Sigal, writes: “My heart was always filled with worry about when my son would finally return home, because home is the safest place, and all I ever did was pray that nothing would happen to him and that he would return safe and sound. I thank him for 23 years of happiness in his presence, for endless pride and contentment. I hope he is in the best place in the world, because he deserves it, and I pray that we will meet again soon. I love and miss him… A child every mother longs to have—a true angel inside and out. It is important to me that anyone who did not know him will know who he was and what he was to me. I always said that I must have done something good in life to receive him as a gift. If I had to describe in a few words what Ron was to me—he was my life, the light of my life, the air I breathe, and my strength.”

On October 7, 2023, he was with friends at the festival near Re’im. The friends who were with him when the sirens began and survived the inferno said that Ron had the opportunity to return home with them, but he chose to go back into the festival grounds to search for the other friends who had arrived with them, saying he had to bring them back home.

Testimonies we received recount that while running to the car with friends, Ron noticed a young woman who had frozen in fear due to the sirens and chaos. Instead of continuing to run, he returned to her and said something that helped her regain her composure and escape. Ron did not know her, but he saw her distress and ran to help. He was known for his sensitivity toward others.

Ron found his friends, and together they managed to escape the festival grounds and entered a roadside shelter at the Gama junction (the shelter known as “the sickle”). From inside the shelter, they heard Arabic being spoken outside, and Ron planned to charge at the terrorists when they entered, telling his friends to hide behind him. The terrorists threw three grenades into the shelter, wounding everyone and abducting Ron (according to the surviving friend). The survivor also recounted that when Ron was taken, he heard him confronting them. Ron was apparently taken captive and was found about a week later, approximately 50 meters from the shelter from which they had tried to abduct him.

He was murdered on Saturday, October 7.

May his memory be a blessing.