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Yotam was born at Kibbutz Gvulot on January 2, 1995, to parents Iris and Raviv. When he came into the world, he had an older brother, Tuval, and seven years later, his sister Noya joined the family.
Yotam was born with an impressive red mane and had a very easygoing personality—quiet, smiling, and patient. At birth, he was diagnosed with an intestinal blockage and had to stay in the hospital for a week in the neonatal ward.
From the age of two months, Yotam suffered from stomach pains, developmental delays, and frequent vomiting, requiring many hospital visits. It wasn’t until he was 11 months old that he was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease. He underwent major abdominal surgery and, for the next ten years, dealt with side effects that contributed to very low self-esteem, feelings of shame, and frustration.
Yotam grew up among the children of Kibbutz Gvulot, attending the nursery, the “Amnon and Tamar” group, and then Gan Narcis. In first grade, he began attending Nitzanei Eshkol School. He was particularly intelligent, curious, and eager for knowledge, but also extremely emotionally sensitive. In his early school years, Yotam struggled with anxiety, depression, and, over time, developed other mental health challenges, stemming partly from the trauma of his surgery.
Yotam had a very well-developed sense of humor, often dry and sarcastic. He was smart, inquisitive, and genuine, a loyal friend, but had great difficulty fitting into the traditional school system. It often seemed that the world didn’t understand Yotam.
At the age of nine, Yotam followed in his brother Tuval’s footsteps and began learning to play music, choosing drums as his main instrument. Over the years, he became highly skilled on the drums, a talent that greatly helped him cope with the significant challenges in his life.
For high school, Yotam first attended Ma’ale Habsor and then Nofei Habsor, but after a year at Beit Ekstein, a special education school in Nes Ziona, Yotam seemed to find his footing and started coping better with the school environment. He joined a small class in 8th and 9th grade, where he was taught by Naama from Kibbutz Re’im. His confidence began to return, and he became a good, sociable student. In the higher grades, he studied with Mazzi, who nurtured him and helped him discover his strengths and capabilities.
Yotam also grew stronger in sports, particularly basketball, joining the Hapoel Gvulot team, coached by his father, Raviv. He was a determined, fast, and strong player. The team members embraced him, giving him a significant role despite the age differences.
Toward the end of high school, Yotam developed an eating disorder, characterized by excessive physical activity and very little eating. He became extremely thin, weighing only 49 kilograms. Despite this, he completed 12th grade and even managed to enlist in the army. However, after three weeks, he returned home and was discharged due to mental health issues and emotional difficulties. His inability to serve in the army affected him deeply for many years, as he would often say that he felt like a failure for not being a soldier.
Yotam overcame his eating disorder on his own. He was hospitalized for about a month in the eating disorder ward at Tel Hashomer Hospital, but eventually left. This was a very difficult period for both Yotam and his family. With his unique strength, Yotam sought work and found a job at Sushimoto in Sderot, where he met Nir Shochat, the owner. Nir, who had his own experience with mental health challenges, was happy to give Yotam a place in his restaurant. He offered Yotam his own station where he could fold gyozas without being disturbed.
Yotam started by folding gyozas and, over time, became well-liked by all the staff. He eventually became a pillar of the restaurant, with Nir consulting him on new dishes and menu development.
From the age of 18 to 28, Yotam faced periods of ups and downs, with good times and dark times. He worked hard to succeed in music, honing his drumming skills and, in 2021, joined the metalcore band Perspore. Together with Lidor, Dani, and Yossi, he began performing on stage.
He studied fitness training and cooking, and he had many dreams—wanting to be a famous drummer performing on the world’s biggest stages, to become a chef, and to open restaurants. Alongside these dreams, however, came many fears and worries.
In 2023, Yotam applied to study drumming at the Rimon School of Music and was accepted.
In recent years, Yotam also began working with his father, Raviv, at the Shachur agricultural partnership, a collaboration between Holit, Revivim, and Re’im. He integrated well with the team of operators and moved to live in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the young adults’ neighborhood. He kept a neat and cozy apartment there, formed friendships with some of the residents, and from there, he would go to work, rehearsals, and performances.
Yotam had a deep love for animals. At Sde Nitzan, he cared for eight cats, and later, at Kfar Aza, he had a cat named Mishmish, a black-and-white cat who eventually disappeared, and later a ginger cat named Ramzi, who resembled Yotam in his coloring.
He trained in CrossFit in Sderot, another place where people saw Yotam’s strengths despite his challenges. They saw his mental and physical resilience, qualities that would prove essential in the critical days ahead.
Yotam lived his life with basketball, CrossFit training, music, and dealing with a physical illness called ankylosing spondylitis, which added another burden to his life at the age of 25.
Yotam had 32 tattoos on his body. His first tattoo was of a wolf with blue eyes, inked when he was 15, at a time when he still needed parental consent. From there, he chose many animal tattoos and others with meanings tied to his life. One of them was a semicolon tattoo, symbolizing his battle with depression and the daily choice between ending life (a period) or continuing (a semicolon).
Yotam wanted to live, but life was hard for him.
