The light of Sagi will spread forever: The story of Maj. Sagi Golan
On one Saturday night, thirty years ago, Sagi Golan was born. No one could have known then that this baby, the middle child between his brother and his sister Lior, would grow into a man whose life would be woven with extraordinary excellence, deep compassion and supreme courage. Maj. Sagi Golan, an officer in the Counterterrorism Unit and a resident of Herzliya, fell in the battle for Kibbutz Be’eri on October 8, 2023. He left behind a loving family, a husband to be, who was left waiting for him under the wedding canopy, and a legacy of light that refuses to fade. Sagi was the son of Eti and Gilad, and a brother to Oz and Lior.
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The child who was ahead of his time
From a very young age, it was clear that Sagi was no ordinary child. His father, Gilad, recalls how at an assessment when Sagi was four, they were told his intellectual level was higher than that of a six-year-old. “I went to the diagnostician because he simply didn’t hold the pencil correctly,” his mother, Eti, recalls. “She told me, ‘I gave him tests at a first-grade level. I don’t have tests at a higher level. You have a gifted child.’”
That excellence became the common thread running through his entire life. Sagi was a gifted pianist, a brilliant student, a valued employee and an exemplary officer. Family members speak with a bittersweet smile about the “absurdity” of graduation ceremonies. They always knew Sagi’s name would be called to receive a certificate of excellence. But for Sagi, achievements were never the goal. “He didn’t care about any of his own success,” his sister Lior says, “he simply did things because he wanted to do them in the best possible way. He always gave 200 percent of himself.”
Leadership rooted in heart and compassion
Alongside his brilliant mind, Sagi had an even bigger heart. His father recounts a moving moment he only discovered years later. Sagi had “adopted” a socially ostracized child in elementary school and became his only friend, without ever making an issue of it. “He simply saw that child and made sure to give him a place,” Gilad says.
That ability to see the person beyond everything else turned Sagi into a revered commander. In his team in the Counterterrorism Unit, known as “Sagi’s Team,” he led in a unique way. His parents say he did not need rank to command. He knew how to maximize the abilities of every soldier, out of a deep understanding of their individuality. He did not want them to be “like him,” but to be the best version of themselves.
A love story cut short
In 2018, Sagi met Omer Ohana at a conference of the leadership organization LEAD. It began with a casual conversation and turned into a first date, during which Omer already felt he was in love. Their relationship was deep and total. The marriage proposal took place at a magical spot in nature that Sagi loved so much. Sagi planned everything down to the smallest detail, and when he pulled out the ring, the first thing he wanted to know, with a smile, was: “Since when did you know this was going to happen?” The two were supposed to marry shortly after that Black Saturday.
The final battle in Be’eri
On the morning of October 7, when the sirens sounded, Sagi did not hesitate. He headed south without detailing his destination to his family. He arrived in Be’eri, where he commanded forces amid the inferno. Even in the most difficult moments, Sagi maintained exemplary composure. He insisted on evacuating an elderly man in a motorized wheelchair, despite the operational difficulty, simply because “no one is left behind.”
In the final house he cleared, the Friedlander family home, Sagi stood in front of the sealed safe room door. The barricaded family was afraid to open it, until they heard his voice: “I am Sagi Golan from Herzliya.” That simple, calming sentence instilled confidence. The father later said: “I saw his radiant face smiling at me. He gave us water and hugged us. I saw him, and I was not afraid.” Sagi fell in battle the following day, October 8.
The notification and the struggle for recognition
For three days, the family was shaken between hope and despair, until the knock came at the door at 1:30 a.m. For Omer, the news was doubly devastating. As a same-sex partner, he encountered difficulties within the military notification system. Sagi’s mother, Eti, was forced to plead for an official notification team to be sent to Omer as well. “An ordeal began,” she recalls. It was a moment in which the great love between Sagi and Omer was tested against rigid procedures, but the family stood united to ensure that Omer received the respect due to him as the life partner of a hero of Israel.
A legacy of light
Today, Sagi Golan is far more than the memory of an officer and commander. He is a symbol of unconditional love, human excellence and quiet leadership. “Time only teaches me how to live without his physical presence,” Eti says in pain, but adds with pride that the values he left behind continue to resonate.
Omer has taken it upon himself to carry on Sagi’s legacy. “Sagi fell for a state and a people he believed in,” he says. “Our role is to safeguard our country with the values of those who fell.” His father, Gilad, sums it up in words that touch eternity: “It may be that the sun has already gone out, but its light continues to spread through the galaxy forever. That is the light of Sagi, which will continue to spread forever.”
Maj. Sagi Golan, a hero of both books and reality, leaves behind a trail of light, an illuminating smile and a reminder to us all that even in the deepest darkness, one person from Herzliya can be a ray of hope.
Maj. Sagi Golan of the Infantry Corps fell on the 23rd of Tishrei, 5784, October 8, 2023. He was 30 when he fell.
May his memory be a blessing.
Major
Sagi Golan