Ahead of Independence Day, the prime minister, president, defense minister and IDF chief of staff all chose to invite one person — a hero of Israel — to the annual festivities at the president’s residence.
According to the Ynet news website, Rivlin chose to honor ultra-Orthodox filmmaker Rama Burshtein, director of the critically acclaimed “Fill the Void” in 2012.
“Rama in her special way shows us the Haredi world through a real, authentic, and heartwarming lens. In her work, she serves as a voice for the mute Haredi public that secular Israeli society doesn’t know, while recognizing the commonalities between the secular and Haredi,” a spokesman for the president says.
Rama Burshtein, 45, a Tel Aviv-based Haredi filmmaker, wrote and directed “Fill the Void” (Lea Golda Holterman via JTA)
Netanyahu chose Miriam Peretz, the mother of two fallen soldiers.
Peretz “chose to continue on in life, she meets with soldiers, teenagers and bereaved families, and conveys messages of hope and faith in mankind to blossom from moments of crisis. She is a symbol of sacrifice and dedication, and works day and night on advocacy for the state of Israel,” the statement says.
Miriam Peretz holds a torch during the Israeli 66th Independence Day Ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on May 5, 2014. (Photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Ya’alon’s choice is Munir Suad, a former paratrooper who lost his legs from a roadside bomb in southern Lebanon in the 1980s. Suad served in the IDF under Ya’alon’s command and later worked to establish a memorial site for four fallen soldiers.
Gadi Eizenkot’s selection is Oren Blitzblau, a former soldier who was badly injured during an operation in Gaza a decade ago, and went on to be an award-winning athlete after losing his eyesight.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
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