Pillar of Defense victims unnamed in ceremony

Exactly five months have passed since Itzik Amsalem and Aharon Smadja were killed by a Grad rocket in Kiryat Malachi during Operation Pillar of Defense.

But during the memorial ceremony held in the city on Sunday night Amsalem and Smadja's names were left unmentioned and unwritten on the signs.

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"I was not at the ceremony because it is emotionally difficult for me to go to the city," said David Amsalem, Itzik's father.

"We went to Jerusalem for the ceremony at Mount Herzl, where the names appear. I don't know why something like this happened. As a resident of the city, I am very disappointed and expect those responsible to act responsibly in commemorating my son's name and that of his friend Aharon."

David Amsalem said that it angers him to hear that such treatment is received by the city's fallen. "If I was aware of the absence of my son's name in the ceremony, I certainly wouldn't have let this happen. I can promise that it won't be like this next year."

The site of the Kiryat Malachi attack last year (Photo: Neri Brenner)

Fanny Smadja, Aharon's widow, added: "I couldn't be at the ceremony yesterday because I watch two small children, but when I heard that they refrained from posting a sign with his name, I was shocked.

"I really don't understand why this had to happen. The three names need to be added, as in the televised ceremony in which their names appeared amongst the fallen."

The Kiryat Malachi municipality explained that until this year's Remembrance Day for fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism, Avi Suissa was the only resident of the city who was killed in a terror attack, and thus his name was added to the ceremony.

But now, when the number of terror victims amongst the city's residents rose to three, ceremony rules call, according to the municipality, for a separate ceremony in which the city's residents will unite with terror victims from Kiryat Malachi. A ceremony of this kind will be held starting next year, but this year – the names were absent from the list of the fallen.

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