Staff Sergeant Yanai Weissman, a soldier in the Nahal 50 Battalion, was born in Tzfat in the fall of 1995. He was the third child of his parents - Orly and Avraham - and thebrother of Nitai, Ya'ari and Hanan.
Prior to his military service, Yanai chose to study in a pre-military preparatory (mechina) yeshiva program, and during this period Yanai and his girlfriend Yael decided to marry.
The wedding took place about two months before Yanai was drafted into the IDF, and their daughter, who was named Neta, was born during his army service.
During a few day's leave, on Thursday, February 18, 2016, two terrorists armed with knives entered the Rami Levy supermarket branch in the Sha'ar Binyamin industrial zone.
The terrorists immediately began to attack, stabbing numerous shoppers and workers.
At the same time, Yanai and Yaffa were shopping there for Shabbat, with Neta, their baby daughter.
Yanai heard the shouts and with his bare hands, weaponless, he ran to where the screams came from.
He attacked the two terrorists with his bare hands and tried to stop the murder spree. During the struggle Yanai was stabbed and later died of his wounds.
Yanai once told his commanders in the army, "Once you have responsibility for someone else, you can not afford to break or give up"
At the funeral, his widow Yael said goodbye to him: "I could not stop you from running there, and I do not regret it, I know that if you did not run there, you would not be the same Yanai I knew, the Yanai that I fell in love with. You are a true hero of the people of Israel. "
Last week I was privileged to participate in the march of life alongside Yael. I met a wonderful woman who, despite the enormous void that opened up in her heart, is optimistic, and is raising Neta with endless dedication and love.
When I met her, I realized that Yanai's heroism had always existed in him, and was revealed in that one moment.
Yanai had a joy for life, a great love for Yael and Neta, and a great and kind heart. A straight line connects King David, Judah the Maccabee, Roi Klein and Yanai Weissman. Like them, Yanai is a link in the chain of Jewish heroism throughout the generations. May every Jewish youngster be taught to honor Yanai's heroism and purity of heart. May his memory be blessed.