Relatives and friends of Lt.-Col. Emanuel Moreno, who fell in battle during the 2006 Lebanon War, came to his grave on Mount Herzl on Thursday to mark the fifth yahrzeit of his death.
Lt.-Col. Moreno was killed while serving in one of the IDF’s most elite units, Sayeret Matkal, on a mission near B’albek. The details of that mission were so secret that due to the constraints of national security, to this day a photo of the deceased has not been published as is customary when a soldier falls in battle.
After the memorial ceremony, Emanuel’s father, Ilan Moreno, told Arutz Sheva of the five long years without his son.
“Time passes but every minute without him feels endless,” he said. “Nevertheless, life goes on despite the enormous difficulties. This was Emanuel’s goal: he was willing to give his own life so that others will continue to live.”
One of Emanuel’s closest friends is Naftali Bennett, the Director of the Yesha Councils of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria. On Thursday, Bennett recalled his last telephone conversation with Emanuel.
“A day before Emanuel was killed, on a Thursday afternoon, I had just gotten out of Lebanon,” Bennett told Arutz Sheva. “I will never forget that he told me that this war was meant to wake up the people of Israel, and that we will rise and move forward from this difficult situation. I cannot believe it’s been five years.”
Emanuel’s nephew, Moshe Moreno, also spoke of his beloved uncle.
“I learned from him never to give up, to study and to never stop what you’ve started,” he said. “I miss him very much.”
