Sivan Zohar-Alkobi lost her brother, Israeli photojournalist Yaniv Zohar, his wife Yasmin, and their daughters Keshet, 20, and Techelet, 18, in the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Yasmin’s father, Haim Livne, was also murdered.

The couple’s youngest son, Ariel, then 12, was the family’s only survivor, having left home for his regular morning jog shortly before Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz.

As previously reported by COLlive, one of Yaniv’s final acts before he was murdered was saving his son’s life. When he spotted terrorists approaching his home, he contacted a kibbutz security guard and asked him to rescue Ariel. The guard located the boy and brought him to safety, but was later killed while defending the community.

During Shiva, when ZAKA volunteers asked Ariel whether there was anything he wanted retrieved from his destroyed home, he requested his father’s Tefillin, which had been passed down from his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.

The Tefillin were recovered and returned to Ariel ahead of his Bar Mitzvah on 24 Kislev 5784. His story of survival and faith touched Jews around the world. Ariel subsequently moved in with his aunt, Ayelet Zohar-Cohen and her husband Tomer, and their children.

Nearly three years after the tragedy, Sivan Zohar-Alkobi is facing another devastating ordeal. Three months ago, her husband Eli, 46, the father of their two young sons, was diagnosed with colon cancer and began intensive treatment.

“I felt as though the blood was draining from my body,” Sivan recalled of receiving the diagnosis. “It was as if the ground was collapsing beneath my feet all over again.”

Before October 7, Sivan and Eli operated a successful event production and corporate gift business, serving major Israeli and international companies. Following the massacre, Sivan was unable to work for months as she struggled with the loss of her family members.

Now, with Eli undergoing cancer treatment, the family’s financial difficulties have intensified.

Sivan has also spoken out about the lack of government assistance for siblings of civilian terror victims, describing them as “the invisible siblings” whose suffering often goes unrecognized.

Her sister, Ayelet Zohar-Cohen, has launched a fundraising campaign seeking 1.5 million shekels to help the family cover living expenses during Eli’s treatment.

Despite the hardships, Sivan says she is determined to maintain a positive environment for her two young sons while hoping for her husband’s recovery and a return to financial stability.

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