Rabbi Leo Dee, who recently lost his wife and two daughters in the terrorist attack in the Jordan Valley, has released a plea for unity on Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day).

The bereaved husband and father said in the video that he was disturbed to find out that Yom HaZikaron this week “is not going to be a time for unity of the Jewish people and that some people are planning protests or political rallies at commemorations around the country.”

Addressing the Israeli public, he said: “I want to tell you something. I speak for the [bereaved families], being one of the most recent, and I can tell you from all of the other families that I met at the shiva, we want one thing. We want the memory of our families we lost through terror and through fighting those many wars for the State of Israel to be remembered and to be respected and the way to do that is to do exactly what we've done every year in Israel.”

He called on politicians attending events not to use them for political purposes.

“If you're a politician or a minister in the government, then obviously this is not the opportunity for political speech,” he said. “This is

only an opportunity to talk about the Jewish people, the importance of the sacrifice of the soldiers, and of the victims, and how together we are building a better world.”

He added: “I’m certain that every decent family in Israel will be paying respect at the commemorations that take place on Yom HaZikaron and on Yom Ha’atzmaut [Independence Day] and thereafter. And that all of us can remember the holy neshamot [souls] for years to come with the respect and love that brings us all together as a nation.”