top of page

Chaim Peri

Chaim Peri (1944-2024) was a self-taught artist who sketched, sculpted, filmed, and wrote screenplays and children’s books, Chaim Peri was primarily known in the Israeli cultural community as the founder and curator of The White House gallery in the fields between kibbutz Nir Oz and neighboring kibbutz Nirim in the South of Israel.


Born in Givatayim, Peri moved to Nir Oz when he was 18 and, among other roles, worked as a blacksmith. Having fought in four wars over his lifetime, he was a staunch believer in the peace process. Peri volunteered with The Road to Recovery – a non-profit group of Israeli volunteers driving and accompanying Palestinians from checkpoints in Gaza and the West Bank to receive medical care in Israel.


On October 7, 2023, Peri was kidnapped by Hamas from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz and taken into Gaza. While there were various signs of life thought the first several months of captivity, in June 2024 the family learned that Chaim was murdered sometime in March or April. His body was retrieved from a tunnel in Gaza in late August.


Peri is survived by his wife Osnat, his 5 children and 13 grandchildren.

bottom of page