October 7 · Personal story
Judith “Judy” Weinstein Haggai
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Outside Kibbutz Nir Oz, during the couple’s morning walk
Current outcome
Returned for burial · June 5, 2025
Judith “Judy” Weinstein Haggai was killed on 7 October 2023; the body was recovered in Gaza and returned to Israel on 5 June 2025.
01
Life before
Judy was born in Canada on 29 August 1953 and immigrated to Israel at 24. She arrived as a volunteer at Ein HaShofet, where she met Gadi Haggai. They made music together in the Jazz Union before moving to Nir Oz in 1994 and raising four children. Judy taught English for years at the regional school. In her later work she taught mindfulness, especially to help children and adults live with the anxiety of the Gaza border area. She also taught yoga and wrote poetry; she posted a haiku each morning, and her last was dated 7 October 2023. Her next planned work was puppet-theatre therapy at Sha’ar HaNegev school after the Jewish holidays. Neighbors remembered her as someone who rode her bicycle to work and made time to talk about art and peace.
02
7 October
On 7 October, Judy and Gadi left for their regular morning walk outside Nir Oz. At 7:05 Judy called a volunteer medic to report that she and Gadi had been shot. She called for help after Gadi was shot; attackers stopped and burned the ambulance sent toward them. Judy also reached the Magen David Adom dispatch center and said Gadi was probably dead. A later video showed Gadi’s body taken away that morning. Both Judy and Gadi were killed that day, and their bodies were held in Gaza.
03
After the attack
On 28 December 2023, Nir Oz announced that Judy had been killed on 7 October and that her body was held in Gaza. Her family waited for her return alongside Gadi’s.
04
Return for burial
Judy’s body was recovered in Khan Younis and returned to Israel on 5 June 2025. National Insurance records her burial at Ein HaShofet. Her family welcomed the couple’s return for burial while grieving and waiting for other hostages to come home.
05
Remembered
When Judy’s death was announced in December 2023, her family included four children, seven grandchildren, and her 95-year-old mother. Nir Oz remembered her as a devoted teacher, poet, and initiator who acted for children with special needs and for peace. Her final haiku was posted on the morning of 7 October. A neighbor described a quieter side of her life: daily bicycle rides to school, long conversations, and a wish to live calmly and enjoy the children around her. Her planned work in puppet-theatre therapy shows how she intended to bring creative practice into her teaching after the holidays.