When David “Dugo” Leitner trudged through the snow as a starving teenager in January 1945, the only thing that kept him alive was a dream of round rolls in the Land of Israel. This coming Sunday, that private dream will once again become a national display of resilience. “Operation Dugo” will be held for the 11th time, this year under the banner of the triumph of the human spirit and strengthening the bond between the State of Israel and world Jewry.
Alongside widespread participation in Israel and abroad, special activities will be held this year, including a video competition aimed at young people, with the winning entry to be screened as part of the events. The initiative will also be marked in various Israel Defense Forces units, and in many educational institutions across Israel, the school day will open with a lesson plan on Dugo’s inspiring story.
The initiative will be observed this coming Sunday, January 18, and as in previous years thousands of Jews are expected to take part, including students, soldiers, youth movement members, company employees, Jewish communities and Israelis in the Diaspora. All will eat a serving of falafel, take photos and share them as a gesture of remembrance and appreciation for the survivors’ victory and for perpetuating Dugo’s memory. The general public is invited on Sunday to visit the nearest falafel stand, eat a portion, take a photo and share it on social media.
Dugo’s story begins on that fateful January 18, when he set out at age 14 with about 60,000 Auschwitz prisoners on the death marches. Hungry, exhausted and freezing, he clung to a single memory his mother had shared with him about warm, round rolls waiting in the Land of Israel. That image of food, home and a future gave him the strength to go on and survive.
After the war he immigrated to Israel, and when he first encountered falafel balls, their round shape and color became a tangible symbol for him of that life-saving memory. From then on, every year on January 18, Dugo marked his personal and national victory by eating a serving of falafel, which for him became a symbol of the triumph of life. In 2016, the Holocaust museum Testimony House, which Dugo co-founded, launched “Operation Dugo,” turning a private custom into a large-scale tradition.
This year, for the first time and marking 11 years of the initiative, the Israel Postal Company’s philatelic service is issuing a special stamp in memory of David “Dugo” Leitner of blessed memory as part of the commemorative project. The stamp, illustrated by Michel Kichka and Miri Nistor, commemorates Dugo’s path and the symbolic act he created, a reminder that even from the deepest darkness, hope, continuity and faith in humanity can grow. The stamp will be officially issued on February 10, 2026.
“Operation Dugo 2026 is being held this year under the banner of the triumph of the spirit, the spirit of Dugo, the spirit of Holocaust survivors and the spirit of the entire Jewish people,” said Testimony House CEO Maayan Karni Yehuda. “This is an initiative that was born from one personal story and became a tradition that unites Israelis and Jews around the world. In an era of challenges and polarization, Operation Dugo reminds us that memory can also connect, strengthen and inspire. On January 18, we will all go to the nearest falafel stand, eat, take photos and share, because the Jewish people live.”
Karni Yehuda added, “The fact that Operation Dugo has been commemorated on a stamp of the State of Israel grants it official recognition as an event of national standing. This is an emotional moment of state acknowledgment for an initiative that has become a value-based asset of Israeli society. Beyond that, Dugo’s family were stamp collectors, and commemoration through the philatelic service represents a particularly moving closing of the circle.”
Alongside remembrance and commemoration, a new generation has been born into the initiative this year: Dugo of blessed memory welcomed a great-grandson named David Amichai. Yohai Kor, Dugo’s grandson and David Amichai’s father, shared, “We were blessed with the sweetest grandfather in the world. He was full of joy and youthful mischief until his last day. Grandpa Dugo was filled with an ability to see the good and the good in everything, even after he endured extraordinarily difficult experiences. He was always a symbol of goodness and positivity for us.
“When our son was born,” Yohai added, “it was clear to us that we wanted him to continue his path, his goodness, his love of Torah and love of Israel and all those beautiful qualities. That’s why we named him David, after him. In addition, Grandpa Dugo would end every conversation and family gathering with the words ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’ so we added the name Amichai. That’s how the name David Amichai came about, and we are truly happy and proud to continue the legacy and goodness that Grandpa Dugo left behind.”