At Memorial Day ceremony, Herzog calls on ‘this generation of war’ to ‘dream of the day after’

Speaking at the Memorial Day state ceremony, President Isaac Herzog pays tribute to “this generation” of Israeli soldiers, encouraging them to consider “what comes after the war” as Israel continues battles on multiple fronts.

“We are still in the midst of the campaign. In recent days, to our deep sorrow, more precious and beloved sons have been added to the list of the fallen,” Herzog says, referring to soldiers killed during renewed fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which was sparked by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

“War is a fateful time, a national test, and as a nation we are meeting it with extraordinary strength, and will continue to meet it with determination and resolve, through all the unbearable pain,” he says at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Herzog recounts stories and writings of several male and female soldiers killed during fighting against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past two years, as well as in past wars.

Herzog stresses the need to balance military strength with moral purpose, saying, “We do not live by our sword, but alongside it. We will grasp it in times of need, such as now, with one hand, and the sword will be sharp and resolute. But the spirit will always be, and must be, mighty and rooted in our other hand…the spirit that yearns for peace, for freedom, and for dignity.”

“It is now the turn of this generation of war to dare and to dream of the day after, to write the song that comes after the war. It deserves a song of hope,” he adds.