Eli Tahar, a bereaved father and brother and Deputy Chairman of the “Yad Labanim” organization, will recite the “Yizkor” prayer during the official torch-lighting ceremony to be held on Wednesday at 19:45 on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The ceremony marks the conclusion of Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, and the opening of the 77th Independence Day celebrations of the State of Israel.
Personal loss becomes a public mission
Tahar’s personal story reflects the national grief: his son Roi was killed in a motorcycle accident about twenty years ago; his son Yossi-Chai, an officer in Shayetet 13 and a senior Shin Bet operative, fell in battle against terrorists during the October 7, 2023 attack; and his brother, Lt. Col. (res.) Yossi Tahar, was killed during an operational mission in Lebanon in 1982. Eli Tahar has turned his personal sorrow into a profound public commitment to remembrance and to strengthening bereaved families throughout Israel.
The ceremony will also feature the traditional torch-lighting event.
This year’s torch-lighters include:
Inbar Ben Simon, Dr. Eli David, Yarin Benaminov, Omri Casspi, Elisha Meidan, Rabbi Shmuel Slotky, Eli Sharabi, Rafael Arwas, Dana International, Jenny Sabadia, Blanka Gut, Zehava Ben, Emily Damari, Oren Smadja, Rachel Edri from Ofakim, Lt. Col. Faiz Faris, Lt. Col. (res.) Hagit Alon-Elharar, Gal Hamrani, Ben Shapiro, Levana Zamir, Tziki Elgnian, Shay Graucher, Micha Shitrit, Ben Carasso, Racheli Tadesa-Malkai, Makhlouf Ohana, Orly Robinson, Chaim Taieb, Riki Siton, Itzik Akrish, Natasha Hausdorff, and three Mossad operatives who led Operation “Beepers” in Lebanon: R’, D’, and N’.
This year’s ceremony will be held under the theme “Bridges of Hope,” with the torches lit by men and women whose work connects different parts of Israeli society—across military, scientific, cultural, and social fields.
