Zehava Shaul (L) and fmr. IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz
Photo: Gadi Shabtai
Missing IDF soldier's mother to boycott ceremonies until his return
Zehava Shaul, the mother of fallen IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown Oron, announced she will abstain from attending any more Memorial Day ceremonies until her son is returned; current head of army's Manpower Directorate, former chief of staff Benny Gantz visit family.
The mother and brother of Oron Shaul, the IDF soldier considered a fallen soldier whose place of burial is unknown, refrained from participating in Memorial Day ceremonies Wednesday. Oron's mother, Zehava Shaul,
stated she will abstain from any further participation until her son's body is returned.
Shaul participated in the battle of Shuja'iyya during Operation Protective Edge, and it was not initially known what befell him. Several days after the battle, however, a committee headed by the chief IDF rabbi determined that he could not have survived, and declared him a fallen IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown.
In the wake of the decision, Oron's family sat shiva, the traditional Jewish seven-day mourning period, but has been fighting tooth and nail to have him returned ever since.
In the Memorial Days commemorated since Protective Edge, family members have participated in a ceremony held near a monument at the center of Poria Illit, where they reside. Oron's name is inscribed on the monument.
Zehava Shaul clarified Wednesday, however, that the town's municipal authority initiated the ceremonies in years past, rather than the family itself, which participated at the town board's behest.
"It has been four years and Oron's fate is still unknown," his mother decried. "From now on, then, we will attend no ceremony or hold no ceremony until Oron's fate is ascertained with certainty or he is returned to us."
A short time before the day's traditional siren, the family was visited by head of the army's Manpower Directorate Maj.-Gen. Moti Almoz, chief of staff at the time of the operation Benny Gantz—who visits the family every year—Golani Brigade Commander Col. Shlomi Binder and head of the Emek HaYarden Regional Council Idan Greenbaum.
Oron's friends, including some who served with him, visited his family as well.
As part of a special Yedioth Ahronoth project, Zehava Shaul wrote an open letter to her son this week. "I'm contacting you, my dearly beloved son," she wrote. "My soul goes out to you with longing. You know about my health. Believe me, I'm forcing myself to remain healthy and not give up until I see you returned to us."
"I will not rest or remain silent! I believe wholeheartedly you're alive. I don't know your condition. I want you back as you are, my dear," she concluded the touching letter.