PM tells story of fallen soldier Shaul Moyal during ceremony for Yom Hazikaron at Yad Lebanim. “The family of the bereaved is also my family.”
The opening ceremony for Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, began this afternoon at Yad Labanim.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his speech at the ceremony: “My brothers and sisters, members of the family of the bereaved, this is also my family, close to the anniversary of my brother’s death. Each fallen person was a unique personality that we remember on this sacred day. How do we get through the day? How do we breathe? Because at the moment we receive the news, the most bitter of all, there is no air left. Everything is empty. And this is the great meaning of the embrace of the people. The people and the country for which our heroes fell. It is only thanks to our standing together, shoulder to shoulder, that we learn to walk again, and we walk in the path of our loved ones to ensure the eternity of Israel.”
“Six months ago, Shaul Moyal, 47, a reserve soldier in the Alon Brigade, went on operational activity. His wife Smadar stayed behind, as did their 10 children. Shaul was asked many times, ‘Why are you doing this? At your age and your family situation – 10 children – you can be exempted.’ He would reply: ‘I have a mission to complete. I was called to duty on October 7th for the most just war possible. To return the residents of the north safely to their homes. So said Shaul, a wonderful educator, who fell in the operation to destroy a Hezbollah terror compound,” Netanyahu said.
“At the end of the shiva, Smadar gathered their 10 children and told them this: ‘We will rise from the crisis, we will live with the crisis. Right now, there is a deep hole in our lives, but we will build bridges over it. We will continue to give of ourselves to the state and the people because this is a huge privilege. It is the spirit of the 25,000 fallen soldiers of Israel. Jews, Druze, Christians, Circassians, Muslims, Bedouins. We have been given a historic opportunity to renew our national independence, and I tell you – we will not get another chance. Therefore, we must guard the State of Israel with all our might, and that is what we are doing.”
“We have learned that the screen generation, the TikTok generation as they called it, this generation knows how to step away from the screen and connect with reality. After the October 7 massacre, the IDF soldiers revealed themselves in their full glory. They are attacking those who seek to meet us on all fronts, fighting like lions to achieve victory. They are giving their lives to create the conditions for the return of our precious hostages, who are constantly before our eyes. Bringing them home is a sacred mission and one that we will not relent from. We all understand who we are fighting against and what we are fighting for.”
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