Masa Israel Journey hosted its annual Yom HaZikaron ceremony last night at Yad L’Shiryon in Latrun. The event drew more than 4,500 attendees and reached thousands of viewers who paid tribute to Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The event is the largest English-language memorial held in Israel and was translated into Spanish, Russian and French.
The ceremony focused on the stories of soldiers and civilians who came to Israel from around the world and died while serving in the Israel Defense Forces or were killed in hostilities in Israel and around the world. This year’s commemoration, entitled “Together We Remember,” had special significance in the wake of the October 7 massacre, the ongoing war, and the sharp rise in global antisemitism.
This year’s ceremony shared the stories of Masa alumni who fell in battle: French-born Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate Z’L, who fell in Lebanon, and Sergeant Ilan Cohen Z” L, who made aliyah from Argentina and fell in Gaza.
In addition, the event commemorated the lives of Captain (posthumously) Daniel Peretz Z’L, South African-born platoon commander in the Armored Corps, who fell on October 7 and whose body remains in the hands of Hamas; Hersh Goldberg-Polin Z” L, who was shot and kidnapped from the Nova Festival and murdered in Hamas captivity; Bruna Valeanu Z” L and Hanani Glazer Z”L, both originally from Brazil, murdered at the Nova Festival; and Israel Police Inspector Andrei Poshibai Z” L, born in Ukraine, who fell on October 7, while rescuing people from the Nova Festival.
Wreaths were laid by members of the Israeli government, Keren Ha-Yesod, and JFNA.
The wreath of the bereaved families was laid by the Ganizate family, and the Kaddish was recited by Ronen Glazer, the father of Hanani Z"L.
This article was written in cooperation with Masa Israel Journey.