Tatiana Schnitman, 70, from Ofakim, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Sderot on October 7.
Tatiana was taking part in an organized day trip to the Dead Sea that Saturday morning, when the minibus carrying the group got a flat tire and stopped in Sderot.
The group of pensioners aboard the minibus were standing outside when the air raid sirens began, but the bus stop bomb shelter — which was supposed to automatically open during a siren — remained electronically locked. Moments later, a pick-up truck of terrorists drove by and shot dead all 13 travelers. Only the driver emerged alive.
Photos of the group of pensioners lying dead around the bus stop were among the first to circulate the morning of the Hamas onslaught, shocking Israelis and the world with the brutality of the assault.
Tatiana was buried on October 9 in Ofakim. She is survived by her husband, Vladimir.
According to a eulogy on the Ofakim municipal website, Tatiana was born in 1953 near Moscow, and married Vladimir in 1983, settling in Leningrad.
The couple moved to Israel in 1991, settling first in Kiryat Malachi, then in Kiryat Gat and then put down roots in Ofakim in 1994.
According to Army Radio, Tatiana was an avid cat lover, and would always feed street cats and invite them into her garden.
“Tatiana loved life, she was full of joy despite the difficulties she faced,” read the Ofakim eulogy. “She was an only child and didn’t manage to have children of her own — she devoted all of her love and care to her husband Vladimir, and to the garden she grew in their yard. Tatiana was known around the city for her love of plants, she grew fruits, rare succulents and decorative plants. She made sure to get the most out of every day, including organized trips — which is the last thing she did on the day she was murdered so cruelly.”
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