Every year we have a Tekes (ceremony) organised by our amazing neighbours Chana and Gil Carsanti opposite our building here in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph. There are speakers and a video link to the Kotel projected against a wall. It is an intimate and personal event attended by neighbours in the area.

I am honoured to have been asked to make a presentation which is the basis of this blog. Because of the time constraints, I had seriously decrease the amount I would have liked to have said about each of the soldiers. Their biographies are online and would commend Ivrit sites where there is more information.

Erev Tov, dear friends and community members,

We gather here today in the spirit of remembrance, to honour and reflect on the lives of those who gave everything for the security and future of our people. Yom HaZikaron is a day for us to come together, as one nation, bound by our shared history and our unyielding commitment to never forget.

Today, we pause to remember the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the State of Israel. As of April 2026, a total of 25,644 soldiers, police, and security personnel have fallen in the defence of Israel, with over 170 new names added since last year. They are not just names on a list, but sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. Each of them had dreams, hopes, and loved ones who will never forget them. They laid down their lives so that we could live in a country of freedom and safety.

I would like to mention just four of the heroes out of the over 930 who have lost their lives in the current war.

Let us take this moment to honour their bravery, and their unwavering love for their homeland. Their sacrifice is woven into the very fabric of this nation, and it is because of their courage that we stand here today.

May their memories be a source of strength for all of us. And may we never forget the price of the peace and security we sometimes take for granted.

My daughter Naomi ran a programme to have a picture of one of our heroic soldiers who had fallen in the recent war mentioned at the seder. It was Netanel who was mentioned at our Seder.

Did I know Netanel – NOWas I at the levaya or Shiva – NO

But that is what makes us special, and that is why we are gathered here tonight. As Rabbi Twerski zt” l wrote, “if you hurt your little toe, your whole body feels the pain.”This is Achdut.

He lived in Gush Etzion, and he is remembered as a beloved and sweet hero of Israel.”He is survived by his parents, and siblings. Netanel was known for his kindness, his mother described him as an “Ish Chesed” and urged others to follow his example of connecting with people.

Netanel enlisted in the Kfir Brigade and served in the Shimshon Battalion as a combat soldier, medic, and commander.He was described as a loyal friend and someone who left a lasting mark wherever he went. He carried a deep love of people, a spirit of giving, and a constant sense of purpose.

Having taken part in many operations across the country, Netanel was killed in northern Gaza on 22nd of Kislev 5785, when explosives were detonated against his team. He is buried in Kfar Etzion.

Netanel believed that despite the differences within our society, we should strive to see one another as equals, without distinctions, simply because we are human.

May his memory be a blessing – יהי זכרו ברוך

Binyamin Destao Negosah HyD

Binyamin, son of Tejito and Maharat, born in Ethiopia, and brother to Shai, Rivka, Addis, and Hadar. Known as Benny, he made Aliyah with his family at age five.

The name Destao in Amharic means “joy”, and indeed this was his most prominent characteristic – he was always happy and joyful, spreading light, warmth, and positive energy around him, and at almost any given moment his face lit up with a huge smile.

In 2015, he enlisted in the IDF and served as a soldier in the Paratrooper Brigade. He took the company commanders’ course, graduated with honours, and continued to serve the country in miluim.

He was an exemplary son and brother, a true, devoted, and loving friend, with an incredible capacity for giving without expecting anything in return.

On Simchat Torah, he reported for duty in the Paratrooper Brigade. He fulfilled his duty with courage, endless dedication, out of a sense of mission and desire to protect the country.

Despite many miluim absences, he persevered to be able to begin his second year of studies in mechanical engineering in November 2024

On Sunday, 8th of Kislev 5785 on a mission in Lebanon to uncover shafts and locate weapons in one of the villages, his force entered an underground tunnel to inspect it. Upon their entry, an explosive device planted there exploded.

Benny, who was slightly injured, applied a tourniquet to himself and tried to reach them his three more injured colleagues. As he advanced toward them, another bomb exploded. Benny was critically injured and a short time later died of his wounds with the three other soldiers who were injured in the incident.

During the Shiva there was notice on one of the WhatsApp groups about poor attendance. I had already planned to go with a friend. When we arrived, all the chairs in the tent were occupied and there was sadness and silence interspersed intermittently with conversation in Amharic, which we obviously did not understand.

However, non-verbal communication was all that was needed to show the love for one Jew for another. It manifested in how the family thanked is for attending.

First Sergeant Benjamin Destao Ngusa was twenty-eight years old when he fell. He was buried at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Yerushalayim.

May his memory be a blessing – יהי זכרו ברוך

Moshe Shmuel Noll, HyD

Many of us know the Noll family from Nachal Habesor.Their son, Staff Sergeant. Moshe Shmuel was twenty-one, years old, when he fell in battle on the 17th of Tammuz 5785, in Beit Hanoun. He was the 19th soldier from Beit Shemesh to fall following the start of Operation Iron Swords

Three explosive devices were remotely detonated in succession, with the first two striking soldiers directly, and the third going off as others rushed to help. Hamas gunmen then opened fire with light weapons, wounding many.

The sheer number of people lining the streets at the levaya was tribute to him and the family, as well as the need to move the shiva to Aish Kodesh.Moshe, known to many as Moishe or Shmuel, was born in Yerushalayim to Rabbi David and Miriam Noll.

At the kevura, David described Moshe as bright-eyed, energetic, and beloved. “We’re proud to have had him for 22 years, and We salute him.” “Moshe was so excited to serve,” David said, and had proudly told people his son was fighting in Gaza.”

A devoted Chassid who davened and studied with intensity, Moshe made the decision to serve as a combat soldier in the Netzach Yehuda Battalion (97), Kfir Brigade.

Moshe served with a deep sense of duty, to his soldiers, his family, and to his people. After a terrifying moment in Gaza, he told his younger brother: “Before a battle, it is okay to be scared. But once you are inside, you have to fight. You have to focus on your friends, on Am Yisrael. That is what matters.”

Moshe Shmuel Noll gave his life not only as a soldier, but as a living symbol — of Torah and service, faith and courage, humility, and sacrifice.

Friends described Moshe as kind, humble, and deeply committed to both his faith and his mission.

Like all the soldiers I have mentioned his memory will remain a light and a lesson for all who knew him.

May his memory be a blessing – יהי זכרו ברוך

Reserve Captain Tal Movshovitz, a deputy company commander in the Golani 12th Battalion, and was killed in an explosion in Khan Younis on the 21st of Sivan last year. A terrorist squad ambushed the force and opened fire after detonating the explosive device; He is survived by his wife Eliana, and two children Haleli, and Amitai, his parents, siblings in laws Judy and Robert.

He was raised on the values ​​of the Torah, Ahavat Hashem, love of people and love of the country and saw himself as a link in a glorious chain of family and people.

I have known Tal’s wife’s family most of my life, his mother-in-law Judy having been a bridesmaid at our wedding.

Tal was a storm of love, laughter, and life itself. He had a mountain-sized soul and made everything brighter, bigger, and more alive. He was described by Judy as one in a million. A huge compliment given their views on so many things were not aligned.

Tal loved everything about this land and was an idealist.He davened every day and was always kind, sensitive, intelligent, and dedicated.

A Deputy Company Commander in the 7086th Combat Engineering Battalion of the Golani Brigade, he came from Reut, home to so many military families.

Two years ago, I was at the Azkara for his grandmother in law at the cemetery in Alon Shevut, where I noticed that there was now a military section. It never crossed my mind that I would in the future be standing in the military section of the Modiin cemetery next to Tal’s grave.

His in-laws have put their life on hold to look after the children so that his widow, Eliana, can continue her important service.

I remember being at his brother in laws wedding and all the soldiers singing:

at the tops of the voices. I looked at these heroes in wonder as they all knew that they would be returning to the army, some literally after the simcha. I had a terrible sense of foreboding that they were not all going to survive the war. Yet they continued singing. So inspiring.

He used his charisma to do things: guidance, kindness and giving.

Playful and happy, full of energy and kind-hearted, and even as a child he was big and strong. Aware of his strength, he only used his size to protect the weak. He used his charisma to do things: guidance, kindness and giving.

After enlisting in 2016 and serving as a combat engineer he graduated with honours from the company commander course and was assigned directly to the officer course, from which he graduated with a battalion commendation.

He finished as an officer with the rank of lieutenant and then moved to Shabak in March 2022. For some reason he felt he was not contributing enough, so he put pressure on the army and was called up for Miluim.

Marrying Eliana in 2018, during his regular service, they had Haleli and Amitti. The family lived on a base due to Eliana’s service. They continued to serve in the army out of love for the country and the desire to contribute to its security.

He consciously chose a life of meaning all the time. A man of faith with a clear set of values.

He was twenty-eight, when he was killed in the explosion in Khan Younis in southern Gaza whilst serving as deputy company commander in the Golani Brigade and leading his men.

He was killed in action serving his people.

May his memory be a blessing – יהי זכרו ברוך

We have started Yom HaZikaron, a time when the sun sets and the light of this day fades into the solemn silence that defines the beginning of a sacred moment. It is a night of reflection—a time to remember, to honour, and to mourn. Tonight, we hold the memory of those who sacrificed everything for the future of Israel close to our hearts.

We think of the soldiers, the sons and daughters, the mothers, and fathers, who are no longer with us—each one a part of the foundation upon which this country stands. Their courage, their commitment lives on in us.

Eli Cohen and Ron Arad still need to come home for a proper burial. We still do not know what has happened to Guy Hever and Yehuda Katz.

When we see the sad announcement of the loss of another soldier, we need to look at their faces and reflect.

After October the 7th, people made a point of connecting with our Chayalim. Their work continues whether they are in service or facing yet another round of miluim, leaving behind their families and work.

Next time you see a soldier, smile and say hello, tell them they are appreciated, offer to buy them a drink or food to show your gratitude. These simple gestures are always appreciated.

You might just help with those with PTSD and prevent another tragedy.

Say the special prayer for them every day with Kavanah, say Tehillim and try and help with the requests for food to be sent.

The flame of their memory will continue to light our way. As we stand together in solidarity, let us find strength in one another, in the deep connections that bind us as a nation, and in the shared commitment to a future filled with the coming of the Mashiach, hope and peace.

May the memory of all those who made the supreme sacrifice for us always be a blessing – יהי זכרם לברכה

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)