Chaim Peri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1944-04-13)13 April 1944 |
| Died | 2024(2024-00-00) (aged 79–80) |
Chaim Peri (Hebrew: חיים פרי) was anIsraeliartist andcurator. He was abducted in theOctober 7 attacks and killed while in captivity.
Chaim Peri was born in 1944. After serving in theNahal Brigade, he moved to southern Israel to help foundNir Oz. He met his first wife, Batya, at the kibbutz. Their daughter, Inbal, was born in 1968, and their son, Lior, in 1973. After their divorce, Peri remarried and had two more daughters. At the time of Peri's death, he was the grandfather of thirteen children.[1]
Peri was a sculptor, filmmaker, and children's book author.[2]
Peri founded analternative exhibition space, The White House, in an abandoned building that he renovated in Nir Oz in 1999. Peri is widely credited with exhibiting lesser-known artists who had not been shown elsewhere at The White House, includingPavel Wolberg andDavid Gerstein. He also installed sculptures, his own and those ofMenashe Kadishman and others, on the exhibition space's outdoor grounds. CuratorAvi Lubin, speaking toThe Art Newspaper about The White House in 2025, said, "On the one hand, [Peri] hosted tons of active artists. And on the other hand, in terms of location, it’s in the middle of nowhere—it’s not in a town, it’s not easy to get to, especially without a car—but his hospitality was very enabling and free."[3][4]
Peri was a volunteer forRoad to Recovery, an Israeli charity that transports Palestinians in need of medical care within Israel.[2] A veteran of four major wars, Peri had later became a peace activist and participated in an anti-war protest during theSecond Intifada.[5][2][6]
Hamas militants abducted Peri from his home in theNir Oz attack, whereas his wife escaped. Fellow hostageAdina Moshe, released in the2023 Gaza war ceasefire, later recounted that while arguing with Peri the latter had stated that the hostages were not a priority forBenjamin Netanyahu, and that they would only be released in two years, "because we areleftists".[7][8]
In December 2023, Hamas released a video featuring Peri and two other elderly hostages from Nir Oz,Amiram Cooper andYoram Metzger, asking the Israeli government to haltthe war and secure their release; three months later, they released another video claiming all three had died in an air strike.[9][10]
On June 3rd, 2024, the IDF announced the death of Peri, along with those of Cooper, Metzger, andNadav Popplewell.[11] In August 2024, theIsraeli Defense Forces announced they had recovered the remains of six hostages, including Peri, from a tunnel inKhan Younis. The IDF stated they believed their captors executed them during airstrikes during the prior February.[2]
