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30 April 2025
By Abraham, Federation Community Shaliach
Guy Illouz was murdered when he was 26 years old. He was born and raised in Raanana, a town in the center of Israel. Guy was a musician; he spent most of his free time with a guitar on his lap. Guy was at the Nova Music Festival with a big group of friends. He got to his car but was not able to drive far enough before terrorists started shooting towards his car. His friend, Alon Werber, was shot while sitting next to him in the car. Guy was shot in the arm and hid in a tree, calling his parents and the police for help and saying goodbye. Guy was taken hostage, according to other hostages who returned home, was neglected in the hospital and died from his wounds.
I met Guy in high school; we both were in the same grade and we both were fans of HaYehudim. We didn’t talk that much, but we were friendly.
A couple of years later, I got off a bus and I saw Guy. He told me it was his first day in a Medics Course. Not long after that, we found out that we would be together. It was an immediate bond. We became so close that people thought we were best friends from before. We created a small group of friends for ourselves. We spent sleepless nights of laughter and practicing medical procedures and we became so close we would even spend our weekends at home together.
After the course, our group kept thriving. My friendship with Guy mostly involved being in nature and talking about music. Guy believed that music builds connections and can increase the good we see in the world. He loved his dog, George. He was a musical engineer for some of the greatest artists in Israel including Shalom Hanoch, Mati Caspi, and HaYehudim.
Since I found out that Guy was a hostage and hasn’t yet returned, some things, very simple things are just not the same. For almost three months, I had hope. I believed that Guy would come back. I hoped that he was ok. When I found out that Guy was murdered, grief took over any feeling of hope I had.
When I think about Guy I think about the music we listened to and played together. I think about the songs he wrote that I will never get to hear. I remember that he always chose joy over sadness, being with friends and talking about hard things with a smile.
Idan Reichel, an artist Guy and I loved to listen to rephrased Jeremiah 11.
רק מנעי קולך מבכי ועינייך מדמעה
כי השער יפתח לו
יבוא בו בסערה כשישובו לגבולם
Restrain your voice from weeping,
Your eyes from shedding tears;
Because the gate will open for him
And he will come in a storm when they return to their country