President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog lit the eighth Hanukkah candle on Wednesday, together with residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, who have been displaced and hosted over the past year in Kibbutz Hatzerim.
The event was attended by families of hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri as well as by hostages who have returned from captivity, including Shoshan Haran, Shiri Weiss, Raaya Rotem, and Raz Ben-Ami.
“My dear friends, my sisters and brothers from Kibbutz Be’eri, Kibbutz Be’eri has been etched - and will remain - in my consciousness. We visited the kibbutz many times. To my deep sorrow, many of our dear friends were murdered on October 7," Herzog opened.
"I come here as President of the State of Israel on Hanukkah to light the eighth candle and to say a few words to you: to ask for forgiveness, to offer words of encouragement, comfort, and hope. To ask forgiveness on behalf of the State of Israel from you and all the residents of the communities around the border with Gaza—villages, towns, kibbutzim, and moshavim—for the terrible disaster and the grave failure of October 7. A failure that must be thoroughly investigated through a full national inquiry," he added.
Herzog noted: "We cannot feel whole, especially in light of the terrible disaster, until we bring our sisters and brothers who were taken captive back home immediately—whether for proper burial in Israel or to recover in the embrace of their loved ones.
He concluded: "The entire people of Israel want to see them home as quickly as possible. We pray that the eighth Hanukkah candle will bring wonderful news, and with God’s help, may we soon see them home.”