When Judy heard Gady play the flute and fell in love, Kibbutz said, Judy volunteered with volunteers.
The IDF announced that hostage Judith Weinstein Haggai, a 70-year-old member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, returned to Israel early Thursday morning.
She and her husband, Gadi Haggai, were killed on October 7, 2023, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.
Judy is 70 years old and is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. She is an English teacher specializing in children with special needs and works with children suffering from anxiety by using meditation and mindfulness methods.
Her Kibbutz said she is a poet and entrepreneur dedicated to working for peace and brotherhood.
“Judi Weinstein Haggai is used to writing haiku (a poem of one or two sentences) every morning and posting it on Facebook,” said Kibbutz Nir Oz on Instagram.
“The last book she wrote was on October 7. The poems she wrote were published in poetry books over the years.”
Weinstein Haggai family thanked officials for their return, calling for the return of the rest of the hostages
“We welcome the rewards of the closure and burial that we were granted, and he went out for a walk on that black Sabbath morning and never came back,” the Weinstein Haggai family said Thursday.
Nir Oz thanked the IDF and the security forces that carried out the complex rescue operations. They also thank “everyone who supports, struggles, prays and fights for us and Israel” as well as the FBI, the U.S. and the Israeli government.
“But until all 12 hostages of Nir Oz, all 56 hostages were brought back,” the statement concluded.
Judy and Gadi are “the power couple of Kibbutz Nir Oz”. When Judy heard Gady play the flute and fell in love, Kibbutz said, Judy volunteered with volunteers.
“They finished with each other: he was a stupid ball, like a little kid, always dancing and laughing, while Judy was an English teacher who cared for the kids and shared meditation and mindfulness skills.”
According to the Hostage Family Forum, Hager and his wife went out to walk early on October 7. Their daughter Iris heard them hiding on the phone, her father was injured and later lost contact with them. The terrorists kidnapped them and took them to Gaza.
