Former hostage Eli Sharabi will co-host Israel’s national October 7 memorial ceremony in Tel Aviv this year alongside actress and comedian Shani Cohen, organizers announced Sunday.
The event, organized by Kumu, a movement representing families of victims of the October 7 massacre, will be held for the third consecutive year at Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv on October 7 and will include bereaved families and former hostages.
Eli Sharabi to host the national October 7 memorial ceremony
(Photo: Sharon Derhy)
Organizers said that, as in previous years, the ceremony will be broadcast on Israel’s major television networks, on foreign broadcasters and at community screenings around the world. They said the families remain committed to “a national, unifying and all-Israeli ceremony” that gives voice and representation to all sectors of society and all communities affected by the massacre.
The organizers also called on the public to support a crowdfunding campaign established to finance the event.
Sharabi lost his wife Lianne and daughters Noya and Yahel in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. His brother Yossi was killed in Hamas captivity. “I am keeping the promise I made to my wife Lianne, my daughters Noiya and Yahel, and my late brother Yossi, that they will never be forgotten, nor will what happened to them and to us,” Sharabi said.
"October 7 must remain engraved in our hearts forever. It must not be blurred, and time must not be allowed to erase it. That terrible day must not pass without a major and meaningful national ceremony. The pain is still with us everywhere, and I know this will be an emotional and difficult occasion. But I will stand there with all the strength and love I receive from you, to honor those who were murdered and killed, the bereaved families and the people of Israel as a whole.”
Omri Shafroni, who lost four relatives in Kibbutz Be’eri, including 12-year-old Liel Hetzroni, said the ceremony reflects both the country’s collective pain and its shared responsibility and hope. “I am very moved by the hosts chosen to lead the ceremony,” he said.
“Eli Sharabi, whom I knew from the paths and sidewalks of Be’eri, chose life after the worst imaginable, and the talented Shani Cohen is, to me, a symbol of Israeliness. I have no doubt they are the right people to lead a ceremony that will tell the story of our families and of Israeli society as a whole.”
Cohen said October 7 has left a deep mark on Israeli society. “Since that day, I have accompanied many families and individuals through the pain of their loss, and I am proud to host the ceremony alongside someone who chose life despite everything he has been through,” she said.
“What moves me most is our ability to keep going despite such terrible pain, and to find the strength to support others along the way.”