The Chief Rabbi of the Israel Police Force, Rabbi Rami Berachyahu, in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, discussed the challenge of identifying the bodies of police officers who fell fighting terrorists during Hamas's attack on Israel last week.
"We've buried 53 fallen officers so far, and we still have eight who are unaccounted for. It is a very complex task which brings up a lot of emotions. In addition, the Israel Police Force assists in identifying the murdered civilians. It is not a simple event; it's a very, very difficult event, but we are all determined, and we understand the gravity of the situation and feel the support of the state and the citizens. We feel the importance of being sensitive and precise in our work so we can give the families their loved ones so they can be reunited with them and bring them to a proper burial."
The difficulty is also personal, and despite this, Rabbi Berachyahu says, "We feel the enormity of the hour. Many people are reaching out to offer to help and volunteer with whatever they can, and this will and this spirit is being displayed by the nation, even in a tough situation, in the largest funeral home that has existed since the establishment of the State of Israel. We understand that behind us, there is a great spirit of life, and we receive a lot of strength from it. Despite the difficult scenes, the identification of heroes who fought bravely to protect the citizens of the State of Israel, and who knows what would have happened if these officers hadn't used the power given to them. Thanks to these heroes, we can strike back.
Rabbi Berachyahu recounts how, while identifying one of the bodies, they understood that it belonged to the chief of a station, and immediately, all of the rabbis felt the need to salute him "since we felt that we were supporting a hero of Israel. This gave us strength and helped us cope with the difficult sights."
Regarding his decision to bring a Torah scroll to the police station, which was established instead of the one that was destroyed in Sderot, Rabbi Berachyahu says that it is proof of the eternal life of the people of Israel. The emotions at the event caused many of the officers to cry while thinking about their mission and their friends who fell. "We are a nation that has an important mission, and we will not break," Rabbi Berachyahu says.
Rabbi Berachyahu also recounts the difficult halachic questions he was asked in recent days, questions that possibly were never asked in the past 2,000 years, and to find the answers, he consulted with the Chief Rabbis of Israel. A special hotline was created for officers who wish to ask questions pertaining to Jewish law. These questions are related to the identification of bodies, challenges on the battlefield, and more. The questions come from security coordinators and other security personnel, as well as rabbis of cities and other rabbis who ask his opinion as an expert in public security.
"The whole country is at war. The entire nation is at war, and we have the support of all of Israel, and when there is such support, there's no doubt that we will win," Rabbi Berachyahu says and emphasizes that the halachic consultations are being done with all great rabbis from all of the sectors to give those asking confidence that the halachic research is being done in the most comprehensive and in-depth manner.
One of the questions concerns the continued care for the bodies even after they we moved to a safe place, and the answer required continued care as part of the consideration for the families. "This is an unprecedented halachic ruling unlike anything else. The support we received was across the spectrum of halachic scholars," Rabbi Berachyahu concludes.