Rabbi Yehoshua Shani, the father of Major Uri Shani who was killed in action on October 7th, says that this year the presence of government representatives in military cemeteries throughout the country at state memorial ceremonies to honor the fallen of Israel's battles is especially important.
"For the families, for the mother, father, wife, brothers, and sisters, we carry the pain every day. Our personal pain is daily, and the national memorial day is not a private day. It is precisely the day when we expect the entire nation to be with us and with all the fallen from our past and always. For me, if there are no government representatives, and it is not a question of whether I like them or not, our sons and daughters did not fall as soldiers of a makeshift militia but as soldiers of the IDF, as agents of the state here, and on this national day it is necessary and essential that government representatives are in the cemeteries," Shani said in an interview with 103FM.
He noted that "For 75 years we have done this, last year we all cried when we were not yet part of the bereaved family, in view of the scenes that were in the cemeteries. At this state ceremony, we all need to bite our tongues. There is an important message to all the nations of the world that we are united, and one of the expressions of unity - to allow the representatives of the state to be there, and not just the government. All these issues need to be set aside on that day, and we all need to be together on this day".