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........

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