Miracles and Return: Sigal and Arik Kraunik of Kibbutz Be’eri

This is the story of Sigal Kraunik and her husband Arik, the head of security for Kibbutz Be’eri. It is a story of courage, loss, faith, and an unbreakable decision to live.

On the morning of October 7, Arik received a call from the kibbutz emergency group. Terrorists had been spotted inside Be’eri. Arik immediately understood the gravity of the situation. He instructed the emergency team to alert all residents to enter their safe rooms and called the first responders - the local rapid response team, to gather at the weapons storage area. Without hesitation, Arik armed himself and went out to protect the community.

Outside, he encountered seven terrorists. Arik fought and killed them. Afterward, as he returned toward the shelter to secure the weapons, more terrorists emerged from hiding in the bushes. They ambushed him and shot him in his car. Arik was the first person murdered on October 7.

Sigal speaks not only as a grieving widow, but as a witness to something deeper. She challenges the world’s selective outrage and distorted narratives. She describes how violence and suffering exist in many places across the globe, yet the world’s attention fixates narrowly on Israel, often through carefully constructed propaganda. She believes that lies are made convincing when people choose not to see clearly.

Through unbearable loss, Sigal holds tightly to her faith. She speaks of miracles. Her neighborhood was destroyed. Nearly everyone around her was killed. Yet her four children survived. She believes that if the full force of Israel’s enemies had attacked at once, she would not be alive today. For her, October 7 was not only a tragedy. It was a wake-up call. A call to recognize internal divisions within the Jewish people and to confront the reality of what is at stake.

Sigal draws strength from the story of Chanukah. She sees the first responders as modern-day Maccabees. Ordinary people who stood up to protect others, not for glory, but because they had no other choice. A small light pushing back overwhelming darkness.

Her definition of victory is not revenge. It is return. Her victory is coming back to the very place where she lost her husband and best friend. It is refusing to be driven out by fear. It is rebuilding her home, raising her grandchildren on that land, and telling them who their grandfather was. It is choosing life in the face of terror.

The lights of Chanukah are meant to shine outward. They exist to publicize miracles. Not only ancient ones, but the miracles of courage, faith, and survival in every generation. Sigal’s story is one of those lights. A reminder that even after profound darkness, the Jewish people endure. That God’s care continues. Then, now, and always.

As we reflect on his bravery, it is important to honor not only Arik and Sigal but all those who give of themselves everyday to protect others. Their stories deserve to be told and remembered.

Bring more light into the world. Share this story with others.

MORE STORIES

WITH GRATITUDE TO

ELLIOT AND DEBBIE GIBBER

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