Eli Sharabi opens national Oct. 7 memorial ceremony: ‘We lost so much’

The memorial ceremony for those killed on October 7, 2023 begins with a moment of silence at 9:15 p.m.

Ceremony hosts former hostage Eli Sharabi, whose wife and two daughters were killed in their home in Kibbutz Be’eri and whose brother was taken captive and died in Gaza, and Shani Cohen make opening remarks.

“On that Shabbat morning, we lost so much. We lost friends, families, homes and entire communities that were devastated. We lost the people we love most, we lost our sense of certainty, we lost a part of our innocence, and our hearts burned,” says Sharabi. “And on that day, which plunged the entire State of Israel into a deep abyss of sorrow, it seemed we had also lost the country we once knew.”

“One thousand and ninety-six days of loss have passed. One thousand and ninety-six tormented nights of remembrance. Remembering those who begged for help from within safe rooms engulfed in flames, those who hid in dumpsters, in bullet-riddled restroom stalls, and in shelters packed with people,” he continues.

“In the name of the murdered and the fallen, and for the sake of future generations, we will bear witness and tell the story of the day the sky fell upon us. We will remember them all, and we will never forget.”

Ido Yakir, a member of the security team from Kibbutz Magen, which succeeded in preventing terrorists from infiltrating the kibbutz but lost two of its members, recites the Yizkor prayer.

The Mourner’s Kaddish is recited by Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, bereaved father of reservist Capt. Elhanan Meir Kalmanson who fell in battle at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.