As part of observing Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers, I went to an open house this afternoon hosted by Chaya Skoury to honor the memory of her son Amir. After twelve years serving in the IDF, culminating in a position as a commander in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal), Amir enrolled at age 30 at Shalem College, the liberal arts institution in Jerusalem where I teach and am part of the leadership team. On October 7, 2023, a few days before he was due to begin his sophomore year, he raced to the Gaza envelope upon hearing of the Hamas attacks, took command of a team of soldiers defending one of the Jewish communities, and was killed in a firefight with terrorists.

The Skourys’ home was filled with family and friends, including several who had served with Amir and been with him on October 7th. Despite our efforts to focus on Amir’s extraordinary accomplishments and stellar character, this modest apartment in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Hasharon was filled with profound sadness for a life tragically cut short, a young woman widowed, and two little girls growing up without the father who adored them. While I was paying my respects to Amir’s family, my youngest son David was in the city of Modi’in at the home of his comrade on a combat medic team, Shlomo Gurtovnik, who was killed in Gaza at age 21—before even having the chance to start his own family. There too the visitors sought to celebrate the life of a quiet, committed, and eternally cheerful young man while simultaneously mourning his death. Similar scenes were taking place in homes across Israel among the thousand or so families who, during the last two and a half years, lost a loved one who served in the security forces. (And they were joining........

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