Deceased hostage’s mother, injured soldier and Iranian immigrant light Independence Day torches

More torch-lighters at the Independence Day ceremony include:

Ari Spitz, who was critically injured and lost two legs and an arm in combat in Gaza.

“Through Ari, we salute all IDF soldiers, including those wounded in body and mind, who paid such a heavy price for restoring peace and security to the residents of Israel,” said organizer Miri Regev, the transportation minister.

Ora Hatan, a northern resident who was chosen as a “symbol of determination” for remaining in Shtula over the past 2+ years of war and who is known for cooking for Israeli forces stationed in the area.

Celebrity chef Assaf Granit, honored for “representing the creative Israeli spirit” as well as Israeli restaurateurs in general, who have faced tough times throughout several years of war.

Roni Ineshaz Farshahd, who as a Jewish judicial official in the Islamic Republic helped Jews under threat from the regime, and who fled to Israel in 1997.

Talik Gvili, the mother of deceased former hostage Ran Gvili; and hostage point man Gal Hirsch, who was involved in efforts to return the hostages in recent years.

Film producer Moshe Edri, an Israel Prize winner whose films “contributed greatly to shaping the face of Israeli society and brought Israeli cinema and the Hebrew language to major stages around the world,” according to Regev.

Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv, whose “character expresses the path of Religious Zionism, which connects values, faith, and action.”