“You’re not alone,” ambassador tells families of fallen

“Even before the state of Israel existed, the Jewish people paid a heavy price, the heaviest price of all, for our land,” Israeli Ambassador Eli Belotsercovsky said at the Israeli Embassy’s Yom Hazikaron memorial on Tuesday, 25 April. “It’s tragic that even today, 75 years after Israel joined other nations as the only Jewish state in the world, this number continues [to grow].”

The ambassador said, “In total, 24 213 men and women have sacrificed their lives defending our Jewish state and 4 255 have been murdered by terrorists. Since the last independence day, 194 new names have appeared on this frightening roster.”

He praised those who fought for the state of Israel, saying that “every one of them is a model of courage and ultimate devotion”. He also emphasised the support Israel has received from the South African Jewish community since 1948. “Ever since the establishment of the state of Israel, the Jewish community of South Africa has always been there,” he said. “In the War of Independence, 700 Jewish members of the community volunteered to fight for Israel.” This was the highest number of volunteers from any Jewish community around the world after the United States, Belotsercovsky said.

Tzvi Wagner, who lost his brother, Dani, during the Yom Kippur War, lit the memorial torch in the Israeli embassy garden. This year marks 50 years since the Yom Kippur War, in which 2 565 Israelis died during 19 days of war.

The wreath of the bereaved families was laid by Sigalit Tighe, who lost her brother, David Eshel, in 1972, and Jessie Kay, who lost her grandson, Eli Kay, in a terror attack in 2021.

These were just a few of the many members of the South African Jewish community who have lost loved ones in Israel who were guests at the memorial event in Pretoria this week.

Many were brought to tears by “The Missed Chance”, recited by Israel Centre Head Liat Amar Arran, which describes the life that young soldiers and victims never got to live. “We remember who they were, but the real pain is because we will never know who they could have been,” she read.

The memorial ended in an atmosphere of hope in spite of remembrance of terrible loss and tears shed.

Speaking to the bereaved families, the ambassador said, “There’s no consolation for your loss, nothing that can be said or done that can fill the terrible void that you feel, the constant pain that has no cure. I want to say only that you are part of us. You have combined your faith with faith in the state of Israel, and you’ll never be alone. I hope and pray that we’ll be worthy of the act of heroism of your beloved.”