Those we have lost

Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash, 36: Haredi soldier and father of five

Killed when Hamas terrorists overran the Urim IDF base on October 7

Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash who was killed at the Urim base on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash who was killed at the Urim base on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)

Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash, 36, a logistics NCO from Ofakim, was killed in battling Hamas at the Urim IDF base on October 7.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah, and five children: Matanel, Aviel, David, Asher and Etti (just a few months old), as well as his parents, Allegria and David, and seven siblings: Iris, Avraham, Revital, Lucy, Moshe, Shlomi and Zizel.

According to footage published by Channel 12 news in April, Farash was holed up in the war room, attempting to hold off the Hamas terrorists outside and protect the other soldiers in there with him. When Hamas stormed the room with gunfire and grenades, he was killed first, as were ultimately five of the other seven soldiers inside.

Farash was laid to rest on October 9 in Ofakim.

His close friend, Nachum Yehuda, told the Haredi news outlet Kikar HaShabbat that Farash did not hesitate to head to the base on the morning of Simhat Torah after he was called in by his commander.

“He got ready quickly and left for the base. At the exit to Ofakim, terrorists shot at his car but he kept going,” said Yehuda.

Farash’s friend and comrade, Sgt. Maj. Yair Dahan wrote on Facebook that he remembers his final phone call with him that Saturday morning, when he told him that their IDF base was overrun by terrorists.

“I got [to the base] right after you but I couldn’t succeeding in saving you and protecting you, my dear brother, the base was already a battlefield. Aharon you were my role model, you were a true professional… Even in your final moments, you tried to save soldiers’ lives.”

Dahan wrote that he was thankful “for the opportunity to know someone like you. It was a pleasure to work by your side and to grow along with you. Thank you for always showing the light at the end of the tunnel that pulled me up from any low and broken place I was in.”

Mor Turgeman, who served under Farash in the military, wrote on social media that he was “a wonderful guy, he deserved to be remembered, remembered as a caring commander, almost like a father, who always helped his soldiers, protected others before he protected himself.”

Adi Marom, a recipe blogger, shared a cheesecake recipe online in Farash’s honor, “because he loved cakes, in particular cheesecakes.” Maron said Farash was “a wonderful person, a devoted father and an incredible husband.”

Eyal David wrote on Facebook, “I cannot comprehend writing about you in the past tense, my dear brother. Your professionalism and your goodness will always be a guiding light to me. I had the privilege to serve alongside you and know you — you will be greatly missed.”

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here. 

Most Popular
read more: