Louis, 70, was born in Argentina, and immigrated to Israel in the 1970s. He first lived in Kibbutz Megiddo and later moved to Kibbutz Urim. Louis is the father of 4 adult children (3 daughters: Karin, Rinat, Natalie and a son – Nir), life-partner to Clara Merman of 22 years (63 years old, from Kibbutz Nir-Yitzhak, kidnapped to Gaza on October 7, 2023). He has 10 grandchildren. 

Louis, affectionately nicknamed “Lulish” by his grandchildren, is a bookkeeper who retired in early 2023. He marked this momentous life event by traveling to Argentina together with his partner Clara and her two siblings (Gabriela and Fernando).  

As an avid dancer, Louis is a key-contributor to the “Aya Eshkol” folk dance troupe. He is a member of the dance ensemble and annually performs in an English musical that tours Israel.  He is a master chef and excels at making pizzas and empanadas. He has a huge and generous heart and is loved by his family and friends. 

Louis and Clara, his life-partner, spent weekends together traveling around the country to visit their grandchildren. On Saturday, October 7th they were together at Kibbutz Nir-Yitzhak along with Clara’s siblings (Gabriella and Fernando) and her niece (Mia, 17), to celebrate the birthday of Clara’s two-year-old granddaughter. As the barrage of missiles and red alert sirens began, they all entered the safe room together. Hamas terrorists broke into the house and kidnapped everyone in the safe room. All contact with them was lost around 11:00 AM