Holocaust survivor Yosef Viner, z’l, who suffered the brutal murder of three of his grandchildren in the Hamas assault on October 7, passed away on Tuesday at age 98.

After Viner lost his entire family in the Holocaust, he built his own family in Israel. Tragically, three of his grandchildren were killed by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza on October 7. He later wrote a Facebook post about his life that went viral.

“I am Yosef Viner, 97 years old. I survived the fire of the Nazi beasts; my entire family perished. Disconnected from my roots, I dedicated myself to their memory. Exhausted and despairing, I held onto the land and moved to Israel.

“I married Aviva, and we raised two wonderful children, Ofer and Nurit. From Ofer and Michal, we had four grandchildren, all born in Kfar Aza. From Nurit and Miki, we had six grandchildren, all born in Kfar Aza. I achieved a deeply rooted family tree planted in the homeland’s soil that bore fruit.”

“But then, on October 7, 2023, we encountered pure evil. The horrifying sights of fire and ash, murder, and the ruthless killing of innocent people struck me once again. My beloved grandson Yahav, H’yd, was murdered while protecting his wife, Shai-Li, and their one-month-old daughter, Shiya. My dear granddaughter Hadar, H’yd, and her husband Itay, H’yd, were murdered while protecting their 10-month-old twin sons, Roi and Guy.”

“Once again, I am utterly exhausted, in despair, drowning. And now, I have no land left to cling to.”

One of Viner’s relatives told Ynet: “Yosef was a strong man, a true survivor. But when they came to tell him about the murder of his grandchildren, it was the first time I ever saw him cry.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)