Staff Sgt. Benyamin (Beny) Belay OBM fell on Simchat Torah: 'I Love You'
“He was a righteous soul... He was killed around 7 a.m. on Saturday, October 7,” said his mother. Staff Sgt. Benyamin (Beny) Belay, a 20-year-old Logistics Corps soldier, fell on Simchat Torah during the Hamas attack of October 7. His parents described a son who was a gift to the family, a light in their home, who cared deeply for those around him, and who, even in his final moments, thought first of his family: “I love you,” he told them.
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A gift who brought light into the home
Staff Sgt. Benyamin Belay was born after two daughters. “All I cared about was that I got a son, a gift,” said his mother, Wizzro (Aviva) Belay. “He was a wonderful child, full of light, always smiling. Just a dream, a dream child.” From the moment he was born, she said, he radiated love and connection. “He brought light into the home. A child who always smiled.”
Always there for everyone
Benyamin, known to everyone as Beny, was born on June 3, 2003, to Aviva and Fenta Belay. From the start, his family remembers him as deeply loved. “There was no baby like him,” said his mother. “One of the brightest, most beautiful, sweetest kids.” He grew up in a warm home surrounded by siblings, a child who bonded with everyone. “He was everything to us,” said his mother. “With his sisters, with his brothers, he made them laugh, talked with them, helped them. He was always there.” Even as a small child, when he was stung or hurt, he was the one who comforted everyone else. “Even when he was in pain, he’d say to us, ‘It’s OK. Don’t worry.’ That was Beny, the one who calms others.”
Beny loved to study. He enjoyed math, Hebrew and drawing, and often sketched. “His teachers adored him,” his mother said, noting that one of his first-grade teachers still works to preserve his memory. “She said she would create something in his honor, and she really has gone above and beyond.”
From a young age, it was clear Beny was always thinking of others. “He always tried to do good,” said his mother. “Especially for the parents who raised him.” He would tell them, “You’ve worked hard enough, you’ve done enough for us kids. From now on, I’ll take care of you.” To her, it was proof of the man he was becoming, responsible, hard-working and true to his word. His father added, “If he set a goal, he had to see it through.” He also knew how to enjoy life. He traveled abroad with friends and his girlfriend, worked, saved up money and used it to experience the world. “He enjoyed what he earned,” his father said.
A Logistics Corps soldier with a big heart
In the IDF, Beny served in the Logistics Corps as a driver, rotating between several outposts. In his last assignment, he was stationed near Kissufim. Even there, his parents said, he was the same Beny. “There are so many stories,” his mother said. “He’d go into the kitchen, cook food, make everyone laugh.” His service was structured week-on, week-off. When he was home, he worked at a bakery. “Every Friday, he’d bring us challah,” his mother recalled. Since his death, the family has chosen to carry on the tradition in his memory. “This is our way of remembering him,” said one of his sisters. “We make challah at home, we don’t buy it anymore.”
'Let the chips fall where they may'
His father, Fenta Belay, worried about him. “I thought that area was too dangerous,” he said. There were other, more distant postings available, but Beny chose to stay close to home. “So he could keep working, help out and see us.” His father asked him to transfer, but Beny gave a simple reply: “Dad, let the chips fall where they may.” It was his choice. “Apart from regretting it, there’s nothing else I can do,” his father said.
Beny was home for the holiday. The night before he returned to base, he helped the family build the sukkah. “I remember every little thing,” said his mother. “Every holiday that comes, it’s right there in front of me.” That Tuesday, before leaving, he came over, kissed her, and left. “That was the last time.” Even at home, his parents said, Beny was a source of calm and stability. A child who understood people, knew how to listen, and often led the adults around him. “He calmed us down,” his mother said. “Even when he was in pain, he told us not to worry.” For her, it was a constant trait, the ability to carry pain without burdening others.
He had a deep and protective bond with his siblings. He’d long wanted a younger brother, and when one was born, their connection became central. “He left behind a 10-year-old brother,” she said, struggling to grasp the hole left behind. He was just as present for his sisters, talking with them, laughing, helping, spending time. “He was everything to us.” His care for the family wasn’t something he said, it was something he lived. He thought ahead, planned, worked hard. “He’d wake up at three or four in the morning,” his mother said. “If he set a goal, he had to do it.” He saved money, working even while serving in the army, not out of necessity, but out of responsibility. “From now on, you’ll be in good hands,” he would tell his parents. Only after his death did they learn how many lives he had touched. “I didn’t realize how much his friends loved him, how many adults in the neighborhood loved him,” said his mother. That knowledge, she said, is painful, but also a source of strength. “That was Beny. Just a kid who brought good into the world.”
The greatest loss
“We never imagined something like this could happen,” said his father. On the morning of October 7, his mother recalled, everything happened all at once, sirens, confusion, chaos. The family, who observes Shabbat, tried to reach him. He picked up. “He said they were in a bunker, that there were terrorists around them,” she recalled. “He said he could hear Arabic being spoken.” Then he said the words she’ll never forget: “I love you.” “I collapsed onto the floor and cried,” she said. After that, he stopped responding. Days passed without news. The family searched hospitals, tried every possible lead. “We had hope,” said his mother. “Maybe he was hiding, maybe he was somewhere.” Only Thursday night did soldiers arrive with the official notification.
Benyamin fell on Shabbat, Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023 (22 Tishrei 5784). He was 20. Per the family’s request, he was laid to rest on Friday at the military cemetery in Rehovot. After his death, his parents discovered the depth of love that had surrounded him. “I had no idea how many people loved him, friends, neighbors, adults in the community. We knew he helped others, but I didn’t understand just how much.”
His mother finds comfort in her granddaughter Alma, born just months before the tragedy. “I feel like he sent her to us,” she said. “It’s just such a shame he didn’t get to see you.” His father, Fenta, said simply, “I’m proud of him. I always was. He fought and gave everything for the people of Israel.”
Staff Sgt. Benyamin (Beny) Belay, 20, was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Rehovot.
May his memory be a blessing.
Staff Sergeant
Benyamin (Beny) Belay OBM