Dror Or established a home full of love on Kibbutz Be’eri, with his wife Yonat (51) and their beautiful children: 18-year-old Yahli, 17-year-old Noam and 13-year-old Alma.
Dror is the chief cheesemaker and operational manager at ‘Be’eri Cheese’, on Kibbutz Be’eri. “At his core, Dror is a culinary man with the hands of an alchemist and the spirit of a shepherd.” his friend Yaki shares fondly. Dror studied in Tadmor Culinary School and graduated with honors. Afterwards, he worked in several iconic Tel Aviv restaurants; among others, the famous, celebrated restaurant 'Suzana'.
The Or family used to reside in Tel Aviv, however, as the family grew, it was clear they would return to Kibbutz Be’eri, where Yonat was born and raised. Upon returning, Dror found himself working at “Be’eri Print”, a long-established printing workshop in the kibbutz. But his heart sought something more precise, so he began cheesemaking in 2009. He was trained in a dairy, took a course in Italy, and learned from a French cheese expert to become an outstanding cheesemaker.
Yonat Or, Dror’s wife, established "Ayuna" - a boutique carpentry workshop on the kibbutz 7 years ago. In an interview, Yonat once shared: "For me, Kibbutz Be'eri is both a home and a family. We live merely 5 km away from Gaza, and there are certainly challenging periods here, but there's also a kind of resilience and mutual assistance that always helps us maintain our routine." A statement that has gained deeper significance considering the events that ensued.
On October 7, the terror organization Hamas launched an unprecedented, surprise attack on southern Israel, what turned out to be a massacre in Be’eri and other communities. In the early morning hours, as Hamas terrorists infiltrated Be’eri, they broke into Dror’s house and shattered the family to pieces.
Yonat, Dror, Alma and Noam entered the sealed room. When Hamas terrorists set their house on fire, the children jumped from the window and tried to hide elsewhere in the kibbutz, but were found and kidnapped. Dror was kidnapped as well, separately from his children. The terrorists murdered lovely Yonat. Their eldest son, Yahli, was fortunate to be at a pre-military academy and did not experience the horror.
Alma and Noam endured 54 days in Hamas captivity before they were freed as part of a temporary cease-fire agreement. Liam Or, their cousin, who was also kidnapped, was freed under the same agreement. Dror is still held hostage and his family and friends eagerly await his safe return home.
In memory of Yonat Or, Keren Peles and Miri Mesika recorded a duet, "Two Banks". A song about pure friendship, in a scary reality, and a commitment to continue living despite everything. Listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6BXSUZU9xU&t=6s

On May 2, 2024, Kibbutz Be’eri confirmed the death of Dror Or, 49, whose body was taken hostage to Gaza. Dror was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, at his home in Kibbutz Be’eri.
Dror’s family, friends, and community are devastated by this immense loss.

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Dror was kidnapped by Hamas, and his family later learned of his murder.
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