This is a story about a brave and resourceful man who, empty-handed and yet with great courage in his heart, defeated the terrorists that came into his house.
85-year-old Shlomo Ron was a young man at the time when settlements started springing up all over Israel. Everyone was important, as everyone took part in building the state of Israel. Shlomo founded Kibbutz Nahal Oz together with his friends.
In those days when they fought over the country's borders, a Zionist saying was declared: "The border will pass where the last plowed furrow ends." Indeed, at that time, the only marking of Israel's border with Egypt along the Gaza Strip was neither a fence nor a road, but the furrow line plowed by the area's farmers, in the fields of Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
While building the kibbutz, the young Shlomo found the love of his life, Hannah from Kibbutz Kinneret. They had three children and they loved life in Nahal Oz.
On the morning of Simchat Torah when the terrorists raided the kibbutz, Shlomo, Hannah, their two daughters and their grandson were at home. They quickly ran to the ‘safe room’, but then Shlomo stepped out of the ‘safe room’ and firmly ordered: "Close the door behind me!" Hannah argued with him and asked him to come inside, but she knew that it was impossible to stop Shlomo from doing what he wanted, especially when he had a plan.
Shlomo went to the living room, sat down on his armchair, and waited for the terrorists to arrive at his house. Shlomo was not armed with any weapon whatsoever, but he had his resourcefulness.
He was a simple and loving man who loved poetry and theater. In those moments he was also putting on a show: he hoped that if he sat alone in the living room like that, everyone would think he was an old man who lived alone in his house, and wouldn't think to look for other family members in the ‘safe room’.
A moment after he sat down, the terrorists came. Shlomo died in the armchair. Every terrorist who passed outside their house noticed him and continued on his way.
When the rescue forces arrived at the house, they rescued Hannah, her two daughters and their grandson. Shlomo Ron's most powerful weapon was his kindness, courage and intelligence which saved the lives of his family . He was buried as an Israeli hero in Moshava Kinneret near the poets who he admired, Rachel the poetess and Naomi Shemer.
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