In recent days we have seen ongoing announcements of those selected for one of Israel’s highest public honors; lighting the torch at the national ceremony that bridges the mourning of Yom Hazikaron into the celebrations of Yom Haatzmaut.
The list of worthy heroes that have emerged over the past year and a half is both long and tragic; many of whom have paid deeply painful prices for their heroism - and in all-too-many cases the ultimate price. It goes without saying that if the ceremony were to honor everyone worthy of being highlighted, the audience would have to remain in their seats for many weeks if not months.
It is therefore worth stopping to acknowledge that many heroes are individuals amongst us whose actions would likely never see the light of day but nonetheless deserve our awareness and tributes. I would humbly suggest that while the situation precludes them being given the high honors they deserve, we pause and use this forum for an “alternative” torch-bearing ceremony to highlight their humble heroism and the truth that there are many others like them:
Gefen- A Child’s Heroism
Gefen is a four-year old girl who lives in a small community outside Jerusalem. Like all of Israel, she has contended with the ongoing threat from missile attacks that burst into her life with the frightening wail of air raid sirens at any time of day or night. Gefen knows that when she hears the siren, she grabs her favorite doll and runs to the safe-room where she sits quietly on her mother’s lap for the ten minutes to pass and she can return to whatever she was doing- most often to the comfort of sleep in her bed.
Gefen’s role in the saferoom has already become well-known as each time the family or friends who might happen to be in the house gather, she has the ‘privilege’ of being handed a package of chocolates which she quietly hands out to the others in the room.
Despite her young age, Gefen has been forced to acclimate to a life of fear and uncertainty and a highly unnatural grasp of geopolitics as every siren is accompanied by the quiet voice of a four-year old innocently turning to her father and asking “Abba, is this from the Houtis or Hamas?”
In honor of Israel’s Children- we raise a torch!
Itai – A Social Worker On the Emotional Frontlines
The past several years, compounded by the last year and a half of war, have produced a deeply injured Israeli society. Nearly no Israeli family has been immune to the effects of the war; whether through a child in the IDF, a relative wounded or killed or the overall trauma that has in some way pervaded all of our homes.
Itai is a social worker from the Israeli south who was recruited in the earliest days of the war to accompany many families who had lost everything and ensure they received the support they needed and begin the long process of coping with the emotional and practical pain that will likely remain with them for life.
This war for our emotional and mental health has now involved the recruitment of thousands if not tens of thousands of therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, volunteers and often just ordinary people without training – people who simply knew how to speak, and when when to stay silent – to help people with broken hearts begin to heal. This process will likely remain on the forefront of national concern for many years and it will be a national mission to ensure that those effected – which is truly most of us – will never be alone in the face of this emotional battle.
In honor of Israel’s emotional warriors – we raise a torch!
Shira – Wife of a Reservist and Diaspora Emissary
Shira and Yishay are serving as emissaries of the World Zionist Organization in Miami. Together with their four children they arrived in Florida to serve as teachers in a local Jewish day school.
Just as they were getting acclimated to their home and jobs, October 7th occurred. Despite being half a world away, Yishay didn’t hesitate for a moment and even while Simchat Torah was still being celebrated, he made his way to the airport and headed straight to his reserve unit back in Israel. In those early hours he described that there was nowhere else in the world that he wanted to be than with his fellow soldiers.
Since that day he has served 210 days in both Gaza and on the northern front while Shira remained in the US continuing to serve their adopted community. Far away from her husband and family, she stayed focused on arranging community events while caring for her children – often without knowing where her husband was or what dangers he faced.
Shira served as a model that heroism comes in all forms and her lesson is one that will long remain with her students and the Miami community.
In honor of Israel’s military spouses including those stationed abroad – we raise a torch!
Emanuel Who Made Aliyah Amidst The War
Emanuel Levy is a 47-year old pharmacist from Paris. He’s married to Eileen and they have three children. They had planned a trip to Israel in early 2024 and when October 7th occurred, Emanuel began to think that what previously had been just a passing thought was something he was committed to making a reality- to make Aliyah and call Israel his family’s permanent home. When he shared his thoughts with his wife, she replied that she had been thinking just the same thing.
Despite numerous practical and financial obstacles, and no small amount of fear about the security situation, they had packed up their belongings and were ready to leave. They arrived in Israel at a time when the country was still reeling from the initial attack and remained under almost daily rocket fire and the fear of an even more intensive missile strike from Iran.
The family they left behind were shocked by how quickly the family decided to move. But Emanuel says, “If not now, then when? Israel’s war made it very clear that we are all part of the same story and destiny. There was no doubt that now was the proper time to be a central part of the Israeli people here and nowhere else.”
In honor of the many people and families who chose to come home to Israel amidst an ongoing war- we raise a torch!
Tirtza- The Dedicated Volunteer
When soldiers headed southbound towards the Gaza Strip, they would inevitably be met by a 57-year old volunteer named Tirtza Yogev.
A resident of the town of Kfar Nachman, every day following October 7th, Tirtza would head to one of the main junctions near the Gaza border and hand out drinks and sandwiches to all who passed by.
Over the course of the hundreds of days of war that have followed, Tirtza rarely missed a day. She estimates having distributed several thousand sandwiches- all of which she personally prepared and packaged – and promises that she has many more to hand out.
Tirtza is part of a remarkable community of volunteers all over the country who have prepared and distributed food to our forces and sought out unique ways to show that we all had a role to play in this war.
In honor of the countless volunteers who supported and rallied our IDF troops – we raise a torch!
The Average Israeli – Who Has Never Abandoned Hope
On the eve of Israel’s independence, the war is approaching 600 days.
The tremendous responsibilities of waging this war have been shared by many- most notably our reservist and active-duty soldiers – but certainly many others.
The war has taken a tremendous toll on our nation. Hundreds have fallen, thousands have been injured, and we continue to live with the horrific reality of our hostages who remain in captivity. Many head to bed for a fitful sleep, not knowing if their night will be interrupted by another siren, or unable to rest thinking of a loved one serving on the front. Amidst it all, we continue to struggle with internal division with political and social issues pitting one against another.
Yet, despite all the challenges, fears and frustrations, Israel has not lost hope.
We remain ever more faithful that better, safer and happier days will again lie ahead.
We look back on a Jewish history that has been replete with obstacles, pain and tragedy – but also remarkable victories, salvation and success. It is that reality that fills us with the confidence to awake each and every day with the hope that is at the very heart of what it means to be an Israeli.
We know the costs, but we will always believe.
That is the power of the Israeli spirit, of the Zionist spirit, of the Jewish spirit.
We do not fear the long road ahead and know that despite all the difficulties that we have endured – and sadly will continue to endure – the miracle of the modern state of Israel is one always worth fighting for.
In honor of every Israeli who continues to live with hope- we raise a torch!
Adv. Roi Abecassis is the Representative of the World Mizrachi Movement to the National Institutions of Israel and serves as the Head of the Department of Education of the World Zionist Organization and Deputy Chair of KKL.
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