Daughter of Miriam and Yosef. Born on the 11th day of Heshvan 5,731 (10.11.1970). Sister of nine siblings. Neomi was married to Yuval and the couple had three children: Ofek Tal and Shahar. Neomi Shitrit Azulay was murdered during a morning run with her friends in Sderot. She was fifty-two years old. She was laid to rest in the cemetery in Sderot. She is survived by her husband, three children and nine siblings.

The Story Behind The Sticker:

Neomi Shitrit Azulay fell in love with running at the age of 47. At 51, she completed her first and last marathon. Her family remembers her as always joyful, with a radiant smile. Whenever she entered a room, it instantly lit up.

As she had done many times before, on Saturday, October 7th, at 5:30 AM, Neomi set out for a morning run from Kibbutz Yad Mordechai toward Zikim with two friends. At 6:29 AM, the first barrage of rockets struck, forcing them to take cover near concrete shelters. Shortly after, they heard terrorists and hid in the bushes.

After about five hours of hiding from the terrorists, Paratroopers arrived and guarded over them. At one point, Neomi managed to contact her family, reassuring them that she was safe, that soldiers were protecting them, and that she would be home soon.

About half an hour later, they were caught in a deadly encounter, where Neomi, her friend from the running team, and two squad commanders from the IDF’s 890th Paratrooper Battalion were murdered.

The image chosen for the sticker is a photo of her during one of her happiest moments, her first marathon in Tiberias. The sentence chosen for the sticker is: “Run to the end with a smile.” This sentence took on additional meaning after her tragic death during her morning run.