Eighty years ago, the Nazis killed Yosef Viner's family. Now Hamas killed some of his grandchildren.
The Holocaust survivor decided to share his feelings in an open letter.
"I am Yosef Viner, 97 years old," he wrote. "I survived the fire of the Nazi beasts; my entire family perished. Disconnected from my roots, I devoted myself to their memory. Exhausted and despairing, I held onto the land and moved to Israel. I married Aviva, and together we raised two wonderful children, Ofer and Norit."
Both children got married and raised their children in Kfar Azza, one of Gaza border communities.
"From Ofer and Michal, we had four grandchildren; from Nurit and Miki we had six grandchildren," Yosef said. "On October 7, 2023, we experienced pure evil – fire, dust, killing, and the horrific murder of innocents. Once again, tragedy struck. My beloved grandson Yahav was murdered while protecting his wife Shaili and one-month-old Shiya. My dear granddaughter Hadar and her husband Itai were also murdered while protecting their ten-month-old twins, Roy and Guy."
"Once again, I am exhausted, in despair, drowning. And I have no more land to hold on to," he said.
Remembering Yahav
"My sweetheart, I feel your presence inside myself," said Shaili at Yahav's funeral. "I remember us lying on a mattress together, knowing I'd never break up with you."
The young woman recalled Yahav's last moments, highlighting how he sacrificed himself to save her and their daughter.
"You held the door for us; you could have escaped through the window, but you loved me so much that you managed to block them," she said.