Eden Zecharyah already told her family she was coming home when terrorists started shooting at the party she attended October 7th. Her boyfriend, Ofek Kimchi, was killed while protecting her, and she was taken to Gaza alive. Her mother, Orin Ganz Zach, talks about her on video.
"If there's something you can't miss about Eden, it's her smile. She used to write down gratitudes every day for everything she has – gratitudes for her job, for her parents, for her friends. She really wanted things to be good. The world can't stand to lose her. She's too good.
"Eden didn't go a lot to festivals, but when there was a festival that was really good, she would go, yes. She loved the feeling of freedom – and honestly, it was a great festival. First of all, such beautiful people, when I looked for my daughter it was really hard, because they all looked the same. They're all amazingly pretty, with long hair and jewlry – they all looked like my daughter.
"I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of sirens. The first thing I did was send a message in the family WhatsApp group, asking if everyone was alright. I sent a message and Eden replied: 'I'm in Ofakim, on my way back home, there's a heavy barrage'. I asked if she's hiding, she didn't reply. I called her and she said: 'Mom, I'm alright, we're on our way back home. Wait a second, I have another incoming call. It's Dad. Dad is on the other end'. They spoke for a few minutes, and then she started screaming: 'They're shooting at us, it's really close, take care of the dogs'. That was the last call we had with her. Then all contact was lost to this very day.
"Her boyfriend really insisted on staying with her, he wouldn't leave her side no matter what. He just stayed with her, and from what I hear he took a bullet.
"My daughter is smart. My daughter is strong. She's a survivor. I know if she had even the slightest chance – she survived this. And I want to believe – I know, I know, the terrorists did a terrible thing. But I know there are also good people, on both sides. There are good arabs. I'm of Syrian decent. They're there.
"You can't help but love her. I know if they have her, she's being taken care of. I know that.
"Please, please, bring her home."
