Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village is mourning the death of a former student and father of three, police detective First Sergeant Major Alik Pozniakov, 37. He was killed by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on October 7.
Pozniakov was one of at least 30 police officers known to have been killed during the weekend’s fighting.
He made aliyah with his parents from Russia to Dimona. He was one of the first students to join Hadassah Neurim’s athletics program and quickly excelled in sprint running, representing the youth village in national championships. He also studied electronics.
“He had a special smile, was always helpful and tried to innovate,” says his former sports counselor, Avi Ohayoun. “I remember him well. In fact, we met numerous times at village events.”
Along with six former Hadassah Neurim students, Pozniakov joined the police in southern Israel immediately after army service.
“It was one from that group who called to tell me the awful news,” says Ohayoun.
A handful of current students are from the area around the Gaza Strip. They are safe and with their families outside of the region, according to village spokeswoman Shiri Wallerstein.
Hadassah Neurim’s psychosocial team is available to all current students, while the graduates’ office is offering help to any former students.
The village received 70 students from the Kfar Silver Youth Village near Ashkelon on Saturday night. They will reside in Hadassah Neurim until it is deemed safe for them to return.
“Only with the help of resilience and being there for one another will we win. We hope to see peaceful days,” read a statement from the village.
Meir Shfeyah Youth Aliyah Village is providing shelter to four families from the south and the north and is expecting to welcome two more families within the next few days.
Pozniakov is the second former Hadassah Neurim student murdered by terrorists within six weeks. Sergeant Maksym Molchanov, 20, a distinguished village graduate, was killed in a terrorist ramming attack near the city of Modiin.