Monday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, Sunday evening started the Remembrance Day for the Fallen. That’s a lot at once in the middle of a war. President Isaac Herzog gave a powerful speech.
“I stand here, beside the remains of our temple, in torn clothes. This torn garment – a symbol of Jewish grief, it is a symbol of the grief and loss of an entire people in this year – a year of national mourning. A symbol of a blood-dripping tear in the people’s heart. A gash in the heart of the State of Israel – broken, left behind, crying bitter tears, refusing to be comforted for its sons and daughters – soldiers and civilians, civilians and soldiers… A great tragedy has befallen us,” he says.
“I turn from here, in this sacred moment, to our brothers and sisters held hostage, and to their families: On these national days, we never forget that there is no greater commandment than to save captives. The whole nation is with you. We must gather courage and choose life. Do not rest and do not be quiet until they all return home.”
Recalling the sacrifices made by the hundreds of fallen soldiers buried across the country since the October 7 massacre by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza, Herzog notes that just hours earlier “we brought five of our loved ones to their eternal rest ».
“Believe me, my sisters and brothers, I would like – with all my heart – to tell about each and every one of our fallen loved ones, from all of Israel’s wars, from all the security forces, from the whole country. About their goodness, their beauty, their bravery. But the breach is so great and our losses are too many, far too many,” he continues, describing “the long hours of heroic battles in all the cities and communities of the western part of the Negev,” fought by both civilians and soldiers.
“Hundreds fell on the 7th of October and throughout the whole campaign…some by fire and some by suffocation, some by the sword and some by beasts. Some on the doorstep at home and some in armored personnel carriers, some in the warmth of bed and some on the street, some at a guard post and some on the battlefield, some at a bus stop and some at a police station. Some in a car and some in an armored vehicle, some on the kibbutz paths, some in the pasture and some at a party, some in the mall and some in rockets and missiles, some in tunnels and some in hiding. Forever, forever we will remember them.”
“Citizens of Israel, in this sacred moment I remind us and the whole world that we never wanted or chose this terrible war. Neither this nor the previous ones,” declares Herzog.
“All we wanted was to return to Zion, from which we were expelled by force, and to renew our freedom there – in a Jewish and democratic state. To rebuild a life here. A future. A hope. We have always dreamed of peace and good neighborliness with all the peoples and countries in the region, and nothing less than that forever. But as long as our enemies seek to destroy us, we will not lay down our swords.”
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