Hundreds of friends and family members on Wednesday accompanied Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon, to his final resting place on Wednesday at the military cemetery in Ra’anana.
Sapir, a resident of the community of Eli, fell in battle in southern Lebanon. He is survived by his wife Roi, his infant son Maayan, his parents Yehuda and Rivki, his brothers, and a large grieving family.
Roi Sapir, Itamar’s wife, eulogized him through tears, saying, "My beloved, I called you after they told me you had died, because I was sure it couldn’t be true. I’m surrounded by people, but without you, what is any of it worth? You were everything to me, to all of us. How do we go on? Do we even go on? With you, everything felt possible."
"You always held this life to such high standards. You always held your soldiers to such high standards. My love, I need to ask you to send me signs from time to time.
"Thank you for so many beautiful years together. Thank you for making me happy. Thank you for our Ma'ayan. Suddenly it frightens me how much he looks like you. I only pray he will grow to be like you in character too. You were a father whose love knew no bounds."
Also delivering eulogies were Sapir's siblings Yosef, Erez, and Tal; Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel; Major General Avi Bluth; and by Itamar’s friends and comrades.
Yosef Sapir, Itamar’s brother, said: "No one prepared me for this. Yesterday, when we came home, I decided to go back through our messages. I saw that you had sent me a song and wrote that you used to listen to it all the time when you were my age. I told myself I’d listen to it in a minute, but I never did."
"Yesterday I finally played it, and it begins with the words: ‘You don’t need to look for angels in heaven, they walk here among us.’ You were an angel. But an angel who was here with us, part of us."
Erez Sapir, Itamar’s brother, mourned, "I always dreamed of being more like you. I always felt that whatever you did, you did in the best possible way. I felt that you were afraid of nothing."
"Every Shabbat we spent together, we always knew there would be some debate or argument, but we also knew you would always try to end it with peace.
"Instead of saying I have a brother who was a company commander in Maglan, I now have to say that I am the bereaved brother of a hero of Israel. It’s hard for me even to say those words."
He added, "I can’t believe you won’t stand beside me under my wedding canopy. I want to say thank you for giving me the privilege of being your brother for nearly 22 years. My dear family, I ask that we stay strong together so we can survive this journey."
Tal Sapir, Itamar’s sister, added, "You were good at everything. The most professional, the smartest, never taking anything for granted, always demanding justice. I always knew that when we talked, your focus was truly on me and nothing else."
"I always loved being Itamar’s sister because there were so many people in this world who admired you, commanders and soldiers alike. You gave me a sense of security through your professionalism, your simplicity, and your complete lack of any desire to be a hero.
"On Friday, you wrote to me that I could cry to you. And now you’ve left me crying for you. I followed you in your life, and I will continue to follow you after your death."
Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel, family friend and neighborhood rabbi, shared, "Two weeks ago on Shabbat, you stepped forward to lead the congregation in prayer, and I turned around wondering whose beautiful voice I was hearing."
"You chose to become a guardian, a guardian of the people of Israel, to protect the security of the State of Israel. You led soldiers. You stood inside the inferno. When you were in Gaza, you asked me when you would finally merit to recite Birkat Hagomel (gratitude after danger blessing). You saw soldiers who lived by ‘we will do before we understand’, complete commitment to duty and sacrifice."
Major General Avi Bluth, a family friend and the Central Command chief said, "Even someone who never knew you, seeing your photograph with Roi and Ma'ayan, could not fail to notice the goodness in your eyes."
"Before you entered your role as a company commander, I remembered the message you sent me asking to consult with me beforehand. I remember that conversation well. I was so deeply impressed by your desire to grow, to understand more deeply, and to do everything in the very best way possible. You embodied both the scholar and the warrior.
"Itamar, I know well the family you came from, your parents, who are like siblings to me, and your brothers as well. Your fall is unbearable. But you did not fall in vain. In this war of renewal, we are fighting for our right to live in our land. You believed with all your heart that there is no cause more just than this one."
Major Noam Shpeyer, Itamar's friend and commander, said, "How can our relationship even be defined properly? Were we friends? Colleagues? What I do know is that I admired him from the very first day we met. Your friendship gave me the strength to face everything this war brought with it."
Meir Levinger and Hillel Deri, childhood friends, mourned, "What an extraordinary person you were. You always knew how to give honest and courageous advice. You poured yourself into every goal you pursued in life. At almost every station in life, we were together. Even on October 7th, we fought side by side. Ever since we were young, I was proud to be your friend. I will miss you forever."
Sapir served as deputy company commander in Battalion 7008 of the Formation 551. The incident in which he fell took place at around 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday in the area of Kouseh in southern Lebanon, when a terrorist opened fire from inside a church at IDF forces operating outside the compound. As a result of the terrorist’s fire, Sapir was hit and fell in battle.
Itamar was the son of Yehuda and Rivki Sapir, residents of the community of Eli. He grew up and was educated in Binyamin’s educational institutions, and later studied at the Neve Shmuel Yeshiva in Efrat.
Several years ago, Itamar married Roi, and the two lived for a short time in Ra’anana before later moving to Ariel.
In Ariel, the couple raised their eldest son, Ma'ayan Yiftach, who was born about a year and a half ago. He was named after his father’s friend, Capt. Yiftach Ya’avetz, of blessed memory, who fell in battle on October 7.
Itamar enlisted in 2019 in the Maglan unit and completed his regular service after serving as a platoon commander in the unit. In reserve duty, as noted, he served as deputy company commander in Battalion 7008.