Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana contacted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi regarding Captain Israel Yudkin who fell in Gaza and whose family members requested to write the Hebrew abbreviation "Hy”d" [May God avenge his blood] on his tombstone, and were refused.
As of today, due to the family's insistence, the new headstone erected on their son’s grave is blank and has no inscription at all.
"I received a request from the Yudkin family, who sadly received a negative response to their request and the tombstone has remained unmarked. The Yudkin family from Kfar Chabad, a haredi family with four children who are proudly serving in the IDF, including Major Dubi Yudkin, who has been serving in the reserves since October 7, has lost one of their most precious possessions," wrote Ohana.
"I am aware of the amazing way that the Ministry of Defense cares for the bereaved families, but I think that a humble request of this family is the very least that they can ask," added Ohana.
He emphasized that "there is no dispute that the principle of uniformity is of great importance, but I believe that under the circumstances, the wishes of the family and respect for the deceased, have the greater weight. The abbreviation 'Hy”d’ has served the Jewish people for many generations and there is nothing wrong with allowing it on a military tombstone, especially when the bereaved family requests this. Therefore, I ask you to reconsider the decision, and fulfill the family's wishes, for their honor, for the honor of their son, soldier Israel Yudkin OBM, and for the honor of the Israel Defense Forces and the State of Israel."