It was time to thank those who have given their all for Israel.
AMIT students around the country recently marked the 5th annual day of recognition for wounded IDF soldiers and victims of terror attacks. Two schools held especially meaningful ceremonies, hearing from some of the soldiers about their experiences defending the country.
Students from the girls’ track at the AMIT Kennedy Junior and Senior High School in Acco took part in a visit to the memorial gardens at Ramat Hanadiv. (When Baron Edmond de Rothschild visited Palestine in 1914, he decided that he wanted to be buried there. Today, Ramat Hanadiv, or plateau of the benefactor, is his and his wife’s final resting place.) The girls toured the different gardens and heard the life story of Natan Gershuni, who took part in Israel’s wars from independence in 1948 through the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Their visit culminated with a festive ceremony with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi.
Hila C., a student at the AMIT Kennedy, said the trip was “moving and empowering. There was an overwhelming feeling of connection to the people and State of Israel that inspired a desire to contribute.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of students and their families gathered at Yeshivat AMIT Eliraz High School in Petach Tikvah for a ceremony led by the city’s mayor and AMIT alumnus Rami Greenberg.
Of all AMIT graduates, 97 percent go on to serve in the IDF or national service, underscoring the network’s Zionist values to support, defend, strengthen, and give back to the State of Israel.
Rabbi Yair Chetboun, the school’s principal who served in the army’s elite Duvdevan unit, invited fellow soldiers from that unit to attend.
Attendees heard from Alex Ben Zikri, who was seriously wounded in Hebron in 2002 in which 12 other soldiers were killed, and 14 others were wounded in the same battle. He described his experience as an immigrant from France serving in the IDF and urged everyone to contribute to Israeli society and to the country’s future.
AMIT Eliraz theater students staged a play about a wounded soldier’s experience and the school’s choir paid tribute to the country’s wounded soldiers through song.
Rabbi Chetboun thanked everyone who took part in the special event, but most of all thanked IDF soldiers for their service and dedication.
“The debt we owe to wounded soldiers and victims of terror attacks is enormous and doesn’t begin or end with one evening of recognition,” Rabbi Chetboun said. “Every day, every hour, we must remember those who have paid a steep price for our independence.”
Mayor Greenberg said that Israel faces an existential battle over its identity and urged everyone to help safeguard its future. “We have won up until now thanks to the values of the people of Israel, Torat Israel, and the value of giving [to one another],” he said. “Yeshivat AMIT Eliraz works to impart these values throughout the year.”
