Dafna Meir, a mother of six, was stabbed to death by a terrorist in her own home in Otniel. She was killed while struggling with the terrorist to protect her children.
Dafna succeeded in keeping the terrorist away from her children, but sustained fatal wounds to her upper body. Her 17-year old daughter, Renana, witnessed the murder. Two other children were home at the time of the attack, saved by their mother’s bravery.
The terrorist, a 16-year old Palestinian who infiltrated the settlement, escaped the scene but was captured several days later. He had fled after failing to remove the knife from Dafna’s body. Renana continued to scream for help as the terrorist fled, but medics who arrived on the scene were unable to save Dafna.
She is survived by her husband Natan and children Renana, 17, Akiva, 15, Noa, 11, Ahava, 10, Yair, 6, Yaniv 4.
At her funeral, attended by 1,500 people, Renana spoke about the magnitude of her loss. “I didn’t just lose a mother, but also my best friend,” she said. “It’s hard for me to think we will not laugh together or fight anymore, that you won’t accompany me to the IDF induction center, down the aisle, and to the maternity ward.”
She also expressed deep regret for failing to come to Dafna’s aid in time to save her. “I’m sorry that in your hardest moments I was unable to help you,” she said.
Dafna was adopted at the age of 13 and understood the insecurity of growing up in foster homes. At her funeral, her adopted mother said adopting children was particularly important to Dafna. “Dafna told me, ‘I want to share something with you that I haven’t told you until now. When Natan asked for my hand in marriage, I told him I had one condition – it doesn’t matter how many children we have, we will also adopt children.”
The couple fulfilled the condition, and two of their six children are foster children under the age of six.
Dafna worked as a nurse at the Neurosurgery Department at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. She was also a naturopathic practitioner specializing in fertility and the woman’s body, often serving as an informal adviser to women in her community and in forums on the Internet.
She was also an expert on halachic matters pertaining to women’s issues. She contributed to the online forum called Koletch, answering anonymous queries about women and Halacha for five and a half years. After that, she continued to help people who approached her for advice.
Despite her vast knowledge, she maintained an outlook of humility before G-d. During a period when she was studying for medical exams at Soroka, she composed a prayer she published on her blog. It read, in part:
“Grant that I understand, remember and realize, that the medications are a gift from You, and their efficacy is Your message to us.
“Grant that I view and feel joy at their beneficial influence of the medications I, mercifully, can give those who are ill.”