Testimony Excerpt
Irene Repuela, Oct. 7, Kibbutz Kissufim - "I couldn't live if my employer was dead and I'm alive"
The Full Testimony
Testimony of
Irene Repuela
Irene is a young woman from the Philippines, a mother of two small children who live with her family in the Philippines. In Israel, Irene lives with an elderly couple on Kibbutz Kissufim, working as their caregiver. On Saturday morning, Irene woke to sirens and hurried to get the couple into the safe room. Later, terrorists entered the house, firing in all directions and causing enormous damage, but were unable to enter the safe room. For a day and a half, Irene cared for the couple with the utmost devotion, catering to all their needs at her peril. Irene knew she had a better chance of survival on her own but decided not to leave the couple. After the power was cut off and the phone's battery died, Irene remembered the laptop in the living room and used it to charge the phone to notify first responders of their presence in the house despite feeling terror and helplessness. After they were rescued, despite her parents' requests that she return to the Philippines and a new job offer from another country, Irene decided to continue caring for the couple, whom she refers to as her grandparents.
Place of the event:
Kissufim
Name:
Irene Repuela
Organization:
None
Language:
Hebrew
Credit:
Date: 24.11.2023
Interview: Anat Tzom Ayalon
Photography: Neta Dekel
Video Editing: Anat Tzom Ayalon
Content Editing: Sarit Borenshtein
Translation: Orni Danziger
Other media
Channa Perri
Channa, age 71, was abducted from her home in Nirim early that morning, along with her son Nadav, both were in a medically complex condition.
Tamar Metzger
Tamar was in the shower on Shabat morning when she heard voices in the living room and Yoram, her husband, responding in Arabic. The bathroom door was yanked open, and she was grabbed and then dragged out from her house.
Eyal Dvori
Eyal Dvori, a member of Kibbutz Be'eri, headed the 12th grade cohort at Nofey HaBsor High School. On October 7, he and his family were abroad, following the events from afar, in horror and helplessness. A student from the cohort was murdered, and a teacher was kidnapped.
Maor Ben Yair
A group of friends went to Nova Festival to celebrate Maor's birthday. They had an extraordinarily fun time. At the 6:20, with the sunrise, there was a Red Alert.
Deborah Mintz
“Another couple of hours we would have been dead anyways”- Deborah Mintz on 7.10 in Nirim
Tamar Livyatan
From Tamar Livyatan's testimony: "I have a daughter and granddaughter here, and I am not leaving without them."
Judith Bdolach
From Judith Bdolach's testimony: "What should have been a calm and quiet work-out, turned into a nightmare"
