Moshe Ohayon

Moshe Ohayon was a social activist based in Ofakim, a city in southern Israel where he had lived for two decades.[1] At the time of his death he was 52 years old and served as chief executive officer of Project 929, an initiative designed to make the Bible accessible to a broad public through daily chapters, explanations, videos, images, and audio narration.[1] He also chaired the board of the Shaharit Institute, an organization dedicated to bringing Israelis from different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds together.[1]

Ohayon was active in Israeli civil-society bridge-building. Two days before his death, on October 5, 2023, he hosted a learning session in his Ofakim sukkah that was attended by approximately 50 to 60 people, including colleagues and close friends who had traveled to join his community for the Sukkot festival.[1] Dr. Eilon Schwartz, who was present, recalled that Ohayon was joyful that so many had come and described him as someone who was always the first to act.[1] Rabbi Benny Lau, who created Project 929, called him "the essence of good."[1]

Among the initiatives Ohayon organized was the Shared Home Sukkah project, a joint effort involving Safeguarding Our Shared Home, Project 929, and organizations from different political and religious perspectives. The project erected 250 temporary sukkah dwellings across Israel so that people from varied backgrounds could meet and talk.[2] It drew thousands of participants, and Ohayon was described as one of its leading forces.[2]

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists launched a large-scale assault on communities in southern Israel, including Ofakim.[1] Ohayon and his son Eliad left their home armed in response to the gunfire they heard outside.[1] Their bodies were not found until late the following afternoon.[1] Ohayon was survived by his parents, his wife Sarit, and four children: Amitai, Yair, Shira, and Uri.[1]

Moshe and Eliad Ohayon were named among the recipients of Israel's President's Award for Civilian Heroism, an award initiated by President Isaac Herzog to recognize extraordinary civilian actions during and after October 7, 2023.[3] The awards were presented at the President's Residence on October 30, 2024, and a report on the ceremony listed the late Moshe and Eliad Ohayon among the recipients.[4]

A separate individual named Moshe Ohayon pursued a lengthy career as a professional football midfielder in Israel and abroad. He grew up at M.S. Ashdod, which he described as his hometown club, and joined its senior team at age 16½.[5] Over the course of his playing career he represented M.S. Ashdod across three different periods, Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Tel Aviv, FC Winterthur in Switzerland's second division from 2006 to 2008, and Legia Warsaw in Poland.[6][5]

Ohayon joined Beitar Jerusalem in the summer of 2008, when the club were the reigning Israeli league champions and cup holders.[7] He made 13 official appearances for Beitar and scored once, in a 4–2 victory over Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan in the third round of the 2008–09 season, before returning to Ashdod in January 2009, where he became club captain.[7] In February 2008, prior to his Beitar spell, he represented Israel against Romania in an international fixture.[8] In January 2012, he was released by Legia Warsaw after making eight appearances and scoring one goal.[6]

He described his personal playing peak as the season he spent under manager John Gregory at M.S. Ashdod, during which he recorded 17 goals and nine assists by his own account. He also said that Gregory continued to send him good-luck messages before matches.[5] Ohayon joined Maccabi Kiryat Malakhi in January 2023 and contributed to the club's promotion in both playing and professional-staff roles.[7]

After suffering a knee injury, Ohayon transitioned into coaching.[9] He joined M.S. Ashdod's professional staff and later served as head coach after replacing Yuval Naim, with 13 rounds remaining in the season. He reported that the team secured Premier League survival after overcoming an eight-point deficit in the playoffs and remaining in the league on the final matchday.[9] He subsequently spent four seasons as assistant coach to Ran Ben Shimon at Ashdod, a tenure that included two upper-playoff appearances, participation in European competition, and a State Cup semifinal.[9] He formally departed M.S. Ashdod on June 23, 2023, after nearly eight years at the club, stating his ambition to become a head coach at Premier League or National League level.[9]

On February 7, 2024, Beitar Jerusalem announced his appointment as assistant coach to head coach Gal Cohen through the end of the season.[7] Cohen noted that Ohayon had played alongside him in Israel's youth national team, completed a Pro coaching course with him, played abroad, and understood football dressing-room dynamics.[10]

Another individual named Moshe Ohayon was born in Afula on July 8, 1974, the third of four children.[11] He attended Beit Ze'ev elementary school and the Ben-Gurion Arts High School, excelled in sports, and played basketball for a youth team.[11] He enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in November 1992 and served in the Golani Brigade's engineering company as a mortar fighter and commander, completing two operational periods in Lebanon.[11]

Staff Sergeant Moshe Ohayon was killed on January 25, 1995, at the Reihan outpost in the South Lebanon Security Zone.[11] During the firing of mortar shells at terrorists, an operational accident occurred when a shell exploded in the mortar barrel.[11] He was 20 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in the military cemetery in Afula and was survived by his parents, his sister Merav, and his brothers Golan and Sahar.[11]

A Moshe Ohayon born in 1969 is cataloged as a composer, lyricist, musical arranger, and performer.[12] Among the works attributed to him is the 2013 song משמרת לילה (Mishmeret Laila, "Night Shift"), part of the collection רבוי העדין.[12]

A 2021 report identified a further individual named Moshe Ohayon as a major general and prison commander in southern Israel who held a doctorate.[13] In a discussion about the treatment of security prisoners, he argued that they should be provided with educational and rehabilitation programs.[13]

The rabbi of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Morocco, also bears the name Moshe Ohayon. He was attacked on a Friday night while walking to synagogue for Sabbath services, sustaining a broken nose, broken ribs, and blows to the head.[14] The alleged attacker reportedly claimed the assault was retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and local authorities subsequently searched for the assailant. Casablanca's Jewish community called for increased security around synagogues and Jewish institutions following the incident.[14]