In Memoriam of:

Victoria Gorelov/Brandis

Age: 22

From: Rishon Letzion

In Loving Memory of the Innocent Souls Taken Too Soon. United in peace, their light shines on in the hearts left behind. October 7, 2023, a day of sorrow, but their memories guide us toward a hopeful tomorrow.

Alexander “Alex” Samoilov, 28, and Victoria “Vika” Gorelov/Brandis, 22, were murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7.

The young couple, who lived in Rishon Lezion, were both working as security guards at the festival when it was attacked by an onslaught of Hamas terrorists.

The couple were seen in video from Saturday morning hiding in a room with other partygoers and some police officers. At 9:15 a.m., Alex told his mother that Hamas terrorists were surrounding the room, and that “there is nowhere to hide, we’re looking, we probably won’t make it out of here alive.”

The couple were never heard from again.

After a week their bodies were discovered, and they were buried side by side on October 15 in Holon.

Alex, a native of Belarus, is survived by his parents, Alexander and Svetlana, and his sister, Liza. Victoria, a native of Russia, is survived by her mother Yulia and a sibling who lives outside of Israel.

Both of them worked as security guards for divisions of the Applied Materials company in Rehovot. Victoria’s workplace noted that her “good and pure heart, constant smile and strong dedication to work so characterized her unique personality.”

Alex’s sister, Liza Samoilov, wrote on Facebook that she cannot contemplate the loss of “an incredible kid, the happiest kid, the most fun, the craziest, the most beloved, my big brother — I believe and hope that you are in a much better place now.”

She added: “Every day I want to pick up the phone and tell you what’s going on with us, and then it hits me… that I can’t call. That nobody will answer. Today it hit me, today I broke, I love you so  much, I miss you so much, I promise you that I will come to visit you as much as possible and share things with you and tell you about everything that his happening… you will stay with us forever.”

Alex’s cousin, Lena Mitskevich, described him on Facebook as “such a pure child, simply walking light! If someone wasn’t in a good place, you would always try to make them laugh and lift them up.”

Mitskevich said that “in our childhood we went through the shit of aliyah, racism and those who tried to abuse us, but we fought, you and I! We fought like lions and we didn’t break… You accomplished so much in your life and you were only 28, you lived life, you spread light, you spread joy, with all the difficulties you succeeded big time!”

The couple’s friend, Aslan Nasrullayev, wrote on Facebook that they simply “went to work just to watch over kids who were enjoying themselves… I can’t believe I will no longer see your beautiful smiles together, your joy, your strength.”

“My dear brother and sister, I will never forget you, you were the most beautiful couple in the world,” he wrote, noting that in the final video clip seen of them hiding on October 7, “you were still together, holding hands until your final moment.”
Source: The Times of Israel 

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