President Isaac Herzog on Monday evening shared the story of Master Sergeant Asaf Cafri and his great-grandmother, Magda, during his address at the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem.
Herzog recounted that Cafri, a 26-year-old reservist soldier in the IDF Armored Corps, fell in battle in the Gaza Strip on Holocaust Remembrance Day last year. During a condolence visit to the Cafri family in Beit Hashmonai, Herzog noticed an elderly woman sitting quietly to the side. She was introduced to him as Magda, Cafri’s great-grandmother.
Magda Baratz was imprisoned at the age of fifteen in a ghetto in Transylvania before being deported with her family to Auschwitz. Upon arrival, she was separated from her parents and younger brother, whom she never saw again. Recalling that moment, Herzog quoted her memoirs: “We looked at each other and knew: ‘We will never see each other again.’"
She endured forced labor, starvation, and a death march, repeatedly escaping death during the Holocaust.
Liberated from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 at the age of sixteen, weighing only twenty kilograms, Magda later met her husband Ze’ev in a detention camp in Cyprus. The two immigrated to the Land of Israel and began rebuilding their lives.
Three years after surviving the Holocaust, Magda gave birth to her first daughter, Racheli, during the War of Independence. Over the years, she established a large family, describing her survival, immigration, and the building of a family as her personal victory. Herzog cited her words: “This is my victory: to survive, to immigrate to the Land of Israel, and to establish a dynasty."
Herzog noted that six years ago, a photograph of Magda and her great-grandson Asaf was displayed publicly ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, reflecting the continuity of generations.
On the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, Magda returned to the camp as a guest of honor with her family. While there, she received news that Cafri, her eldest great-grandchild, had been killed in combat while defending the State of Israel.
Herzog emphasized that “precisely seventy years separated" Magda and Asaf, but said they were bound by “one spirit" of resilience, devotion, and commitment to the State of Israel.
During the shiva for Cafri, Magda spoke about her experiences during the Holocaust and her great-grandson’s service. Herzog reflected on seeing four generations gathered together, saying he wondered whether there was “another people that can bear such a story of pain and heroism."
Two weeks after Cafri’s death, Magda passed away. Herzog stated that despite surviving the hardships of the Holocaust, she was unable to withstand the pain of losing her great-grandson.
Concluding the account, Herzog shared a message Magda conveyed shortly before her passing: “I continue to believe that it will be good here. I may no longer be here, but it will be good here. I believe this with all my heart."