MATTHEW VELLI Joseph, a relative of Soból in Poland, said Internet and cellphones in Gaza have been disabled, and their only way to check for information on him has been through media. “We’re trying to check the news all the time, but it’s not easy,” he said.Soból’s death came shortly after he posted a reflection on his work in Gaza.”I’m scared, but I’m not overwhelmed,” he’d written. “Gaza will always stay with me.”He’d written how he’d realized the killings on one street in Gaza weren’t so dramatic when people trusted him and his team to feed them.”People eat the food more calmly,” he’d written. “I’m deeply impressed with this kind of courage.”LEONIDR BAROWSKILeonidr Barowski, 36, of Kishinev, in Moldova, joined World Central Kitchen last year after hearing about the charity’s work in Gaza. “He was such a dedicated, passionate guy,” said World Central Kitchen colleague Pete Gee, who had worked with Barowski in Ukraine and Syria before a pause for the COVID-19 pandemic and a return to Gaza.
Gee last saw Barowski a week ago, when they went to unload a ship at a Gaza port. He said the two had planned to meet the next day to debrief. Gee was waiting for him at the hotel when a man with a traditional Palestinian scarf that was soaked in blood delivered the news that Barowski had been killed.”I just remember I was stunned. It’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” Gee said.As a manager, Barowski was a leader in preparing hot meals for tens of thousands of workers and poor families during Ukraine’s war. A colleague there, who did not want his name used, said Barowski was so creative that he could find ways to bring supplies to a city that had no way in.”He was a very kind-hearted person. He was very beloved here, believe me,” Gee said.“He was a man always thinking about others, very humble,” the colleague in Ukraine said. “He used to work, eat, sleep, and that was it. To hear something like this, it just takes away from this world a really nice person.”VANESSA “NESSA” HADIDVanessa “Nessa” Hadid, 44, was known for her infectious laughter and love for her family and friends.Hadid had worked for World Central Kitchen for 10 years and crisscrossed the globe, taking her to Syria, Ukraine, Jordan, Colombia and other countries affected by war. She’d worked as a chef in the U.S. before joining World Central Kitchen in 2012.“She was just one of my best friends,” said Gwendolyn Eagan, her roommate in D.C. “She just loved cooking. She knew everybody’s order.”Family and friends described her as a “ray of sunshine” with a big smile and a love of spoiling others with culinary delights.
Hadid had been hoping to travel the world and get additional schooling when she died in Gaza.”Our dear friend and colleague, Nessa, was tragically killed in today’s bombing,” World Central Kitchen tweeted in announcing Hadid’s death. “We ask for all of your prayers, love, and support as our team in Gaza continues to save lives and serve the community.”Her friends and family planned to stream a candlelight vigil for her in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.Hadid’s Facebook page was filled with photos of her cooking for family and friends and her World Central Kitchen work.She had also been an award-winning chef and a food research associate at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.FELIX MEZA Felix Meza, 25, started with World Central Kitchen working in human resources. His smile helped him beat the competition, his cousin Wanda Torres said. He once won $1,500 on the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” buying his mother a car with his winnings.
“Everyone talked about him because of that,” Torres said. “But they kept him because of his smile.”Meza was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He moved to Washington, D.C., for a job the week of his death, had been living in a group home for people with disabilities and was saving money to help his mother, Torres said.Most of his family was in El Paso, but his cousin said he had networked family who lived in Puerto Rico, Florida and New York.“He didn’t know any stranger,” Torres said. “People he didn’t know would give him things. He was just like his mom, very friendly.”Gee described Meza as sweet, kind and gentle. “He was really loved on our team,” Gee said. “It’s a great loss.”AMILY FRIEND RECALLS SAIF ISSAM ABU TAHASaif Issam Abu Taha had a heart for his people, said Yusif Chemula, whom Saif met years ago on a visit to the U.S. to speak on behalf of World Central Kitchen.“He cared for the people,” Chemula said. “His town needed him, and that’s where he chose to be. He was always looking for the people that needed him and tried to help them in any way he could.”
