The headmaster of ORT Pelech Boys' High School in Jerusalem, Yossi Hershkovitz, a resident of Gush Etzion, fell in combat with terrorists in Gaza. Since the invasion into Gaza, 43 IDF soldiers have died in battle.
"With great pain and a broken heart, we announce the death of our friend Yossi Hershkovitz, the late principal of ORT Pelech Boys' High School," the school said.
"Dear Yossi, your first words when you were elected to lead were that your ambition is to add only good for the sake of improving the world. That's how you have always acted as a person, as an educator, as a leader. We heart you - the Hershkovitz family, the Pelech Boys community." He is survived by his wife Hadas and five children.
The head of the Gush Etzion Council, Shlomo Ne'eman, eulogized, "Yossi, a man of education and kindness, was one of the best sons of this country. On behalf of the council, I would like to share in the grief of the extended Hershkovitz family and send condolences to the entire family of the settlement of Gva'ot."
The mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, said, "Along with all the people of Israel and the residents of Jerusalem, I also received with great pain the sad news of the death of the headmaster of the ORT Pelech school, the late Yossi Hershkovitz. We all share in the family's grief for the tragic loss and embrace them in these moments."
"Yossi was born and raised in Jerusalem, in the Jewish Quarter. The late Yossi was a man of kindness and truth, a man of family and community, and a man of education throughout, who professionally and faithfully educated hundreds of the city's children, students of the ORT Pelech school. May his memory be blessed."
Education Minister Yoav Kisch expressed deep sorrow, "I was very sorry to hear about the death of the late Yossi Hershkovitz who was killed along with 4 other heroes of Israel, in the intense battles in the northern Gaza Strip. Yossi was the principal of the ORT Pelech High School for boys in Jerusalem, a well-known and beloved educator who inspired his teachers and students. He invested all his energy in his position as a school principal and a first-rate educator. The heart breaks in the face of the fall of one of our best people. Thanks to educators like the late Yossi, we can say with great pride that these are the people who are educating the next generation. The entire education system aches and mourns his fall and will help his family, his wife and his daughters with whatever is needed. May God avenge him."
The ORT network said, "We are bitterly saddened by the tragic news of the death in battle of Yossi Hershkovitz, who was the principal of the ORT High School for boys in Jerusalem, a leader and an educator throughout ."
Zvika Peleg, CEO of the ORT network, commented "I received with shock and deep pain the news of Yossi's death in the battle in Gaza. Yossi was a beloved administrator, a first-rate educator, a man of the people and students full of love for people and giving, who focused on the way to doing good and creating a brighter and better world. Yossi's fall in the war of light against the dark, unjustly, is a symbol of the extraordinary man and educator he was. Our hearts go out to the family, school staff and students. The ORT family will remember Yossi and continue to promote his values and faith, and we will work to complete and strengthen his educational work. May he rest in peace."
Rabbi Avraham Stav wrote about him, "A beloved neighbor. A dear friend. My eyes have been tearing up since Shabbat night and the heart cannot digest the news. A man who is full of kindness, a man who is full of education. How much you cared for your students. How much you cared for us. How much power and confidence you brought when you coordinated the town emergency team, and how much gentleness radiated from you when you played the harp at the regular meeting at your home on Shabbat Tshuva nights."
"On one of the Shabbats a few months ago, you led the Friday night prayers to welcome Shabbat at the synagogue in the town. You carried us all away with a passionate, moving prayer, which came from the heart. And we talked among ourselves, Batya and I, that there is no one like you who can be so well grounded and still so lofty. You received this praise with your modest smile, explaining that this is our mission here."
My daughter asked me today: "What will the Yom Kippur prayer look like now? Who will be able to lead it the way you did, when you also added especially for me Rabbi Amital's melody because you saw that I wrote on Facebook that I was missing it? And I only answered that I knew two things: that someone would do it, and that it would never be the same. Rest in peace. We will miss you so much."