President Isaac Herzog spoke on Wednesday at the memorial service for Elhanan Kalmanson, who fought and fell in battle after the October 7th massacre.
“On that terrible day - October 7, the Shabbat of Simchat Torah - the alarms and cries from the Gaza Envelope were heard not just in the ears, but deep in the heart. Elhanan, his brother Menachem, and his nephew Itiel heard them here, on the mountain. They didn’t wait for orders. They didn’t ask, ‘Is this my responsibility?’ They just went. They came down from the mountain to the fields with responsibility, determination, and a sense of mission - like Judah to Benjamin - like anyone who knows that a pledge is more than a value; it’s a call,” President Herzog said.
“They went armed, with one thought in their hearts: our brothers are in danger, and we’re going. Their whole being said, ‘Here I am!’ The road from their home in Otniel to the fields of Be’eri isn’t short, but the real distance - between communities, between people, between hearts - disappeared that day. It became responsibility, courage, and faith. They fought for hours, house by house, safe room by safe room. Amid the horror, Elhanan was a pillar of fire who led the camp. He fell while fulfilling his life’s oath: to defend Israel and its freedom.”
President Herzog added, “Elhanan’s memory doesn’t just honor him - it points us to a path he showed through his life and sacrifice. A path that connects regions, communities, and people. A path that isn’t just a line on a map, but a way to repair, heal, and build. From the mountain to the field, and back again.”
Turning to Elhanan’s family, President Herzog said, “On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head in gratitude, awe, and love. You’ve shown that Safra ve’Saifa isn’t just a slogan - it’s a way of life. In your home, Torah and action are not separate worlds, but said in one breath. Rabbi Beni, Rebbetzin Yocheved - you’ve raised generations to love Torah, the people, the land, the state, and the individual - and above all, to rise and act. That’s how you raised your whole family, including Elhanan. That’s how he lived, acted, and fell.”
“You lived with a hero - an Israeli hero who spent years securing Israel, and on that day became a hero for the whole nation. Menachem, you summed up your family’s spirit in a single sentence that touched every Israeli heart: ‘For a brother, we do everything.’”
“These are historic, moving days. We feel a mix of breathless relief and deep emotion as our loved ones return from the hands of murderers - some to their homes and rehabilitation, some to Israel’s graveyards. For two years, the nation has waited for this moment. It’s impossible not to feel joy, and to hope that even if this isn’t the end, we are getting closer.”
“As we stand at Elhanan’s grave, we carry pride with our grief - pride in Israel’s heroes, like Elhanan, and pride in this people: united, strong, and extraordinary. May we all follow Elhanan’s path - a path of brotherhood and responsibility, connecting mountain and field, Torah and deed, life and memory. May we soon see our people living together safely, as brothers. May Elhanan Clemensohn’s memory be blessed, and may his soul be bound in the bond of life,” Herzog concluded.
The President also planted a tree in Elhanan’s memory with Rabbi Benny Kalmanson - Elhanan’s father and head of Yeshivat Otniel - and Shai Wenkert, father of hostage survivor Omer Wenkert.