“There’s no way we’re going to give up. We will return,” said Tamar Levitan, a survivor of the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7. Levitan is one of about fifty residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz who were in Vienna on Thursday and were received by Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) at the town hall. Ludwig emphasized to the families that he wanted to send “a small signal” that “we are by your side in this painful time.”
The “crime” committed by the “terrorist organization Hamas” “cannot be excused in any way,” the mayor of Vienna explained. He not only rejects terror against Israel, but “we do everything we can to oppose it.”
“Living Jewish community” in Vienna
Ludwig told the families about the “vibrant Jewish community” in Vienna, which supported the city. But he also mentioned the “dark pages” in the city’s history, in which there was terror against the Jewish population and which they dealt with critically.
“Fifteen of our friends were murdered”
Nahal Oz is located approximately 700 meters from the border with the Gaza Strip and is currently uninhabitable. At the time of the attack, the kibbutz had about 400 inhabitants. “Fifteen of our friends have been murdered,” reported kibbutz spokesperson Beeri Meterovics. Many men resisted the attackers and fought on October 7. “They are the real heroes.”
The kibbutz originally stood for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians: “We explained to our children for a long time that the terrorists under Hamas were the exception,” explains Meterovics. “On October 7, we saw that not only Hamas members, but large parts of the population were not well disposed towards us, and we had to reconsider.”
The Israeli ambassador praises the „Strength” of the survivors
The guests from Israel, who will stay for about a week, would have the opportunity to “take a deep breath” and “get some sleep” in Vienna, Israeli Ambassador David Roet said. The diplomat praised the “strength” of the survivors. He also recalled the approximately 140 hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip and still in the hands of Hamas and other groups. Among them is the Austrian-Israeli dual national Tal Shoham. He belongs to the family of Levitan.
The family fights for Tal Shoham’s release
Levitan said she still had no sign of life from Tal. But the entire family is fighting for his release. Three members of her family of 10 were killed in the major Hamas attack. Her daughter and granddaughter were released after being held hostage for two weeks. The two actually live in the United States and had traveled to Israel to celebrate her 85th birthday with Levitan before the attack, she reported. When the terror began early on October 7, she hid in a shelter with her husband until they were evacuated. “We were lucky, we were only in the shelter for sixteen hours.” Others had to hold out for many hours longer – for fear of death. Many were kidnapped or had to lose their lives.
Source: Krone
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