Itay Banjo

Shani Koperverser and Itay Banjo, graduates of Leo Buck, found themselves sharing an apartment in Be'er Sheva for the duration of their studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Shani graduated with a master's degree in economics, and Itay graduated with a bachelor's degree in materials engineering. Together, they decided to go to the Nova Festival, and unfortunately, together they were murdered there on October 7th. As the terror attack began, Shani and Itay fled in a car along with two other friends. Unable to escape in the car, they moved to a bomb shelter where they were killed by Hamas hand grenades and a RPG round.

Zahava Banjo, Itai's mother, made sure to post about him on her Facebook page the whole time he was away. Upon confirmation of his death, she updated: "When the heart cries, the soul cries out. My heart is already broken. With me, my soul, how much we hoped, we prayed and waited for a miracle, but instead of the miracle and the prayers came the damned knock on the door. All our hopes disappeared in a second. Yesterday thousands of people accompanied you to your new home. You will always remain in our hearts, we will never forget you. The heart is broken and the tears are constantly flowing. Watch over us from above, we love and miss you."