“I was treating the wounded and removing dead bodies all day,” recalls Sderot resident Elor Tawill, regarding the horrible day, October 7, 2023. He is a volunteer with ZAKA (in Hebrew, it is an acrostic for “Disaster Victim Identification”), and they assist with the identification and care of deceased victims. In addition, Tawill also serves as a volunteer senior medic and ambulance driver for Magen David Adom. When he is not volunteering, he works for Reut Sderot, a social service organization in Sderot that assists the city in both education and welfare services.
Tawill was born and raised in Ness Ziona, a small city in central Israel, far removed from the front lines of conflict. But from a young age, he was drawn to a life of service, a path that would eventually lead him to the town of Sderot, a city synonymous with resilience. Sderot, located near the Gaza Strip, is frequently in the crosshairs of rocket attacks, and living there requires a unique blend of courage, faith and unwavering commitment. Tawill embodies all of these qualities.
His journey into a life dedicated to helping others began when he attended a yeshiva high school, where he immersed himself in the study of Torah. At the age of 18, he decided to continue his studies at the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot, an institution that allows young men to combine religious study with IDF military service. For Tawill, the decision to study at Sderot’s Hesder Yeshiva was not just about deepening his religious knowledge but also about preparing himself for the challenges of serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
The transition from the peaceful and intensive study of Torah to the rigorous demands of military life was not easy for Tawill, especially given his lack of any military preparation. However, the Hesder Yeshiva provided him with the support and training he needed to navigate this transition. He initially served in the IDF Combat Search and Rescue unit, where he spent over a year, before eventually transferring to work in the army rabbinate, where he could continue his religious studies while serving his country.
After completing his military service, Tawill returned to Sderot, a place that had become home for him. Through a mutual friend, it was here that he met Hemda, a young woman from Ashkelon. The two quickly fell in love, and they were married when Tawill was just 21 and Hemda was 20, finishing her volunteer time in Sherut Leumi, a national service program in Israel.
The couple made the conscious decision to settle in Sderot, despite the ongoing threats of rocket attacks and other dangers associated with living so close to the Gaza Strip. They now have five children, ranging in age from 1 to 15 years old. For the couple, raising their family in Sderot is about more than just living in a particular place; it’s about making a stand for the future of the Jewish people. “It is more important than just me—it is bigger than me,” Tawill said. “If I am not here, then Am Yisrael isn’t here. This is my home.”
Tawill’s commitment to Sderot and its people extends far beyond his role as a husband and father. While studying at the yeshiva, he began working for Reut Sderot, a social service organization that plays a crucial role in the community. Reut Sderot is much like an urban collective, where members live throughout the city. They have about 500 families who are part of this social movement—all people who moved to Sderot in order to strengthen the community. Reut Sderot runs elementary schools, dozens of preschool daycare centers, and provides essential education and welfare services to the city’s residents. Tawill started as a maintenance man, a position he held for many years, ensuring that the organization’s facilities were in top shape. Over time, his dedication and hard work earned him a position in the fundraising department, where he now works to secure the resources needed to keep the organization running.
But Tawill’s sense of duty doesn’t end with his work at Reut Sderot. In 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, the military operation in response to rocket fire from Gaza, he felt compelled to do more for his community. He took a training course and began volunteering with Magen David Adom (MDA) and he also started volunteering with ZAKA.
Living in Sderot means living with the constant threat of attack. Tawill, sadly, has become accustomed to the sound of Red Alerts for incoming rockets and the sight of ambulances rushing to aid the injured. The discovery of a terror tunnel from Gaza near Sderot during the 2014 conflict brought home the reality that Hamas terrorists were willing to go to any lengths to harm Israeli citizens. Despite these dangers, Tawill and his family have chosen to remain in Sderot, driven by a deep sense of purpose and commitment to their community.
The Horrors of October 7, 2023: Tawill’s Firsthand Account
“That day, October 7, 2023, is one I’ll never forget. It was Simchat Torah morning, a day meant for celebration. I had gone early to the synagogue, as I usually do, when around 6:30 a.m., the Red Alerts started blaring. At first, it seemed like a typical attack, maybe retaliation for the death of some high-profile terrorist. But when the alerts didn’t stop, I knew something was wrong.
“I ran home as quickly as I could, grabbed my wife and kids, and got them into the safe room. Despite it being Shabbat, I turned on my phone—something I don’t usually do—and saw alerts coming in from all over the country. That’s when it hit me: This wasn’t a regular attack. This was something much worse.
“One big failing of October 7 in Sderot was that the Civil Guard had been reduced to a minimum for a year prior—‘No need,’ they told us. This is what is referred to as the ‘conceptzia’—Hebrew for ‘conception’ or perhaps, better translated as ‘misconception.’ I think that the powers that be simply chose the wrong conceptzia, and that was the mistake.
“On October 7, I was unarmed. I am usually armed, and on 24/7 alert, and always had an ambulance parked at my house. But that morning, I didn’t—we had just had a baby, so I wasn’t the one on call.
“I told my wife to stay in the safe room with the kids, and I raced to the medical station to get an ambulance. By 6:45 a.m., I was at the station, still thinking that maybe it might be just another attack. But then, I heard it—gunfire, bombs, grenades—and they were close. Too close. It was clear that terrorists had infiltrated Sderot.
“I immediately started treating the wounded who were coming to us. The streets were a war zone, with citizens fighting back against the terrorists. I kept my family updated, telling my wife to stay put in the safe room. The terrorists were closing in from three different points, and I heard that the situation at the police station was getting dire. I knew I had to get there, and fast.
“By 7:30 a.m., I was in a ‘protected’ MDA ambulance—not fully armored, only enough to provide some safety against gunfire. With two paramedics beside me, I started picking up the injured. We squeezed as many people as we could into the ambulance, sometimes with one sitting next to me in the front.
“There was one moment I’ll never forget—I had to get out of the ambulance, in the middle of a firefight, to carry someone back on my shoulders. I wasn’t thinking about the danger, just about getting that person to safety. I was taking the injured to the northern outskirts of the city, where other ambulance drivers from nearby towns met me to take them to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. It was only a 20-minute drive, but I couldn’t afford to waste time being on the road. There were too many people still needing help back in the city.
“By the end of the day, I had cared for about 50-60 people. But as the afternoon wore on and the shooting died down, a new, grim task awaited us: collecting the bodies. We brought them to the station to ensure they were treated with the respect they deserved. I can’t even begin to describe how hard it was, knowing these were people from my own community.
“That evening, I went back out because there were still more injured in and around Sderot. The terrorists had taken control of the police station, and the battle there had been fierce. Even with helicopters providing assistance, the situation was still incredibly dangerous. But I managed to get some of the injured out, even with terrorists still inside the building.
“By midnight, I finally made it home. That’s when it really started to sink in—the horror of what I had just been through. I have no doubt that God was watching over us that day. But there was no time to rest. The next morning, rockets were still falling, and more people were getting hurt. My wife and kids wanted to leave the city. I drove them to the outskirts of the city, and from there, my wife drove further away to safety. I returned to Sderot to help those still in need of food, medicine and care.
“Later that week, with rockets still raining down, I narrowly escaped death myself. At the sound of a red alert, I had stopped the ambulance and ran into a shelter just before a rocket hit within a few feet. It was a close call, but I’ve learned to expect that living here.”
The Tawill Family, One Year Later
Elor Tawill’s life is a testament to the power of courage, faith and commitment. In the face of unimaginable danger, he has remained steadfast in his dedication to his community and his country. For him, living in Sderot is not just a choice—it’s a calling. His story is one of heroism in the truest sense of the word, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there are those who will rise to the occasion, driven by a deep sense of purpose and a love for their fellow human beings.
After the traumatic events of October 7, 2023, he and his family were displaced to Bnei Dekalim, near Kiryat Gat, where they stayed in a school dormitory. Those days were incredibly challenging, especially for his wife, Hemda, who had spent 15 harrowing hours in their safe room with the kids, fearing that terrorists would break in and murder them. She was also terrified that her husband might not come back, and that she would have to raise the children alone. Despite the overwhelming emotional toll, they managed to stay strong. As long as they were active—helping others, staying busy—they were able to hold it together.
In March 2024, they finally returned home to Sderot. The kids are resilient; they’re doing what kids do. But they understand the reality that they are living in. It is similar to the children of the 1973 Yom Kippur War: They know this is a fight for their homeland, for their country.
Throughout this period, Reut Sderot has been steadfast in its mission to support the community. The entire staff has worked tirelessly, wearing many hats, particularly focusing on providing emotional support to families. They had so many families with husbands and fathers called up for reserve duty, sometimes for six months or more. Tawill’s role was to listen—to hear the stories, the pain, the fears. Many just needed someone to talk to, and he was there to listen.
Today, Tawill also speaks to groups that visit Sderot, not just about the pain and terror, but about the community’s resilience and hope. “We’re rooted in Torah and in action—volunteering, helping, doing what needs to be done,” he explained. “The early days were incredibly painful, but we also saw countless acts of heroism, people running into the fire rather than away from it.
“We know we have no choice but to stand strong against those who wish us harm,” he summed up. “Israel is finding its way to the right place, and we will continue to fight for our home and our future.”
For more information about Reut Sderot: https://reut-sderot.org.il/reut-sderot-comunity-eng/
Arnie Draiman is a philanthropic consultant helping people and foundations give their tzedaka money away wisely, efficiently, and effectively for over 25 years—and he wholeheartedly supports the important work of Reut Sderot. In addition, he consults to hi-tech startups, and is an expert in social media marketing and promotion. He can be reached at: [email protected]
