On Oct. 7 Ben Mizrachi, a 22-year-old man from Vancouver, BC, was killed by Hamas. Mizrachi was at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas terrorists invaded and took the lives of 260 people. 

Once Mizrachi realized his friend had been shot, he heroically chose to stay with him instead of running away. He used the medical skills he learned in the IDF to try to save his friend. Mizrachi’s last words were a text message to his mother “There was a shooting at the festival, I’m staying with my friend who was shot.” 

Mizrachi was closely connected to the Seattle Jewish community. He worked as a counselor at Sephardic Adventure Camp and was a good friend of Shely Gonzalez, an alumna of NYHS. Gonzalez was also part of the SAC family. A mutual friend introduced Gonzalez, 24, to Mizrachi in 10th grade. “We quickly became good friends as we shared many things in common and had the same sense of humor,” said Gonzalez. “He was always joking and never failed to make everyone laugh.” Mizrachi was described as a loyal and heroic friend. “When I heard that he stayed behind with his friend who had been shot, I was not surprised at all,” said Gonzalez “In fact, I found peace in knowing that he died a hero. That was just the type of person Ben was; selfless, caring, and loyal until the very end.”