Aner Shapira
ענר אליקים שפירא
Born2001
Jerusalem, Israel
DiedOctober 7, 2023
Re'im, Israel

Aner Elyakim Shapira (Hebrew: ענר אליקים שפירא‎; 2001 – 7 October 2023) was an Israeli citizen who saved eight lives during the Re'im music festival massacre on October 7, 2023.[1]

Life

Aner Shapira loved music and composed his own songs and poems. He served in the anti-tank company of the reconnaissance battalion of the Nahal Brigade in the Israel Defense Forces.[1]

Shapira's grandfather, Hanina Ben-Menahem, was a professor of Jewish law at the Hebrew University.[2] His grandmother, Yemima Ben-Menachem, was also a professor.[2] His great-grandfather was Haim-Moshe Shapira, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence of Israel.[1]

Events of October 7, 2023

On October 7, 2023, Shapira went to the Nova music festival in Reim with his friend Hersh Goldberg-Polin. After Hamas militants attacked the event, Shapira and his friends ran into a public missile shelter, where they hid with about two dozen other people. Shapira tried to inspire hope in everyone, telling the others that the military would arrive soon. He understood that grenades could be thrown into the shelter, since it was a small and enclosed space. Shapira stood closer to the exit, telling those who were next to him that if this happened, he would throw them back.[1]

When the Hamas militants began throwing grenades into the shelter, Shapira was able to throw the grenades out of the shelter seven times; the eighth exploded in his hands, killing him.[3] On November 14, a video of this act appeared online.[4][5] A number of the wounded did not survive because they were not given assistance in time. Shapira's friend Goldberg-Polin lost his hand from a grenade explosion, but was able to tie a tourniquet around his arm, preventing death from blood loss; he was subsequently taken hostage.[1]

Shapira's parents, Shira and Moshe, were unable to learn what happened to their son until survivors of the event began calling them to tell them about their son's heroism.[1] One of the survivors of the Agam attack noted "Aner Shapira... saved our lives, and he deserves a medal of honor for being the angel who kept us safe".[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "'I'll catch the grenades': The incredible heroism of Aner Shapira". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Colleagues Mourning Deaths in War Against Hamas". H-Net. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  3. ↑ "История 22-летнего израильтянина, который спас других от ХАМАСа ценой собственной жизни". Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Невероятный героизм: Анер Шапира отбивался от террористов их собственными гранатами (видео)". Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ www.7kanal.co.il https://www.7kanal.co.il/news/256621. Retrieved November 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ "Staff Sgt. Aner Elyakim Shapiro, 22: Unarmed, he fended off 7 grenades". Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
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