And now, with the great joy over the return of the hostages—those alive and those who will never come home—and with a drop of optimism flowing back into our lives at the thought that this terrible war, now in its second year, may finally be drawing to a close, we can pause for a moment. For more than a moment. With broken hearts, we can say thank you.
Thank you to those who are no longer with us, to all who were killed in this war—915 IDF soldiers in active service, reserves and career positions. They will forever remain young. Just a little over a week ago, during the Yom Kippur prayer, we asked that they rest in peace, while those who loved them will never find peace themselves. Their hearts will remain shattered, their longing unrelenting even decades later. These are the ones who promised to return but could not, because a deep, powerful voice called them away. As King David said in his mourning for his son Absalom: we will go to them, but they will not return to us.
1 View gallery
The funeral of Staff Sgt. Chalachew Shimon Demalash held in Be'er Sheva
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
A great thank-you to those wounded in body, who have paid—and will continue to pay—the price of this war. Our hearts break again and again as we see them. And a great thank-you to those wounded in spirit, whose eyes have seen what we will never see, whose ears have heard what we will never hear, and who relive it every day. They carry sorrow without beginning or end.
An immense thank-you to everyone who fought in this war: those who left behind homes, wives, children, parents; who sought no excuses, who did not turn back at their doorstep. Those who were there for endless months, day after day after day, their hearts weighed down by dusty uniforms, heavy packs, and weary eyes. Those who never gave up, who fought with courage and devotion—lionhearted in every sense.
Thank you to all who fought, to those who paid with their lives, their bodies, or their souls. To those who continue to bear the cost of death, of injury, of absence—even after returning home.