Rabbi Yitzhak Dor, Dean of the Horev Yeshiva HIgh School in Jerusalem, mentioned in a special letter the fact that eleven graduates of the yeshiva have fallen or been wounded in the war since Yom Kippur.
"On the eve of Yom Kippur, as we began our prayers, we laid our heroic and righteous graduate, Major (res.) Netanel Hershkovitz to rest. Only a few days had past and on the eve of Simchat Torah, on Hoshana Rabbah, we laid Major (res.) Aviram Hariv to rest. Rabbi Hariv taught Torah and was an educator at Yeshiva Horev several years ago," wrote Rabbi Dor.
He added, "On the eve of the holy Shabbat, we buried our righteous and heroic graduate, Captain (res.) Alon Safrai and on Saturday night, we laid Sergeant Hillel Ovadia, brother of Shmuel, a seventh grqade student at Horev, to rest. As we were picking up the pieces, we heard of the falling of our heroic and righteous graduate, Major (res.) Eliav Abitbol.
This morning we received the news that in the same incident, our righteous and heroic graduate, Master sergeant (res.) Gilad Elmaliach fell in battle. Then came the bitter news of the fall in battle of Captain (res.) Avraham Goldberg, Rabbi of the Himmelfarb School, father and uncle to students in our elementary school and yeshiva, a wonderful and righteous man. They are all pure, righteous and heroes, each in his own world and in his special and wondrous ways."
Rabbi Dor also mentioned the wounded. "At the same time, we are praying for the healing of our teacher Guy Shabtai, an English teacher who was severely wounded in that battle and is currently undergoing surgery at Beilinson Hospital. Please pray for Guy Ben Chana for a full recovery. Likewise, our dear graduate Itamar Galinsky was also seriously wounded in Lebanon, and is undergoing treatment in Nahariya Hospital. Itamar Haim ben Zipporah for a full recovery. We also need your prayers for the continued recovery of our graduate, Binyamin Steinberg, who was injured a few months ago and will undergo another operation tomorrow. We are praying for the success of the operation."
"We are trying at this time to speak to our students with great sensitivity and give them emotional support, to encourage and lift their spirits. Out of this great pain will sprout a great redemption. We have faith and confidence in Hashem, that He will save the people of Israel and its land," concluded Rabbi Dor.