Staff Sgt. Shachar Fridman, 21: Left ‘ethical will’ before entering Gaza

Staff Sgt. Shachar Fridman, 21, a member of the Paratroopers’ Brigade 101st Battalion, was killed while fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza on November 19.

Fridman’s unit was one of the first to respond to the initial Hamas assault on October 7. He was interviewed just before entering Gaza for what would be his final mission, and his experiences are described in a Ynet article [Hebrew], published after his death.

In that piece, Fridman related how he had seen the public altercation in Tel Aviv over Yom Kippur observance and had considered leaving the country, but then said, “I see the nation now, and I see a future for our state… I am ready to fight for a country like this.”

Fridman was a graduate of Himmelfarb High School in Jerusalem and was active in the Bnei Akiva movement, working specifically with children on the autistic spectrum.

He left behind an “ethical will,” which has been widely reported on and distributed in the Hebrew press and on Israeli social media. It is reproduced here in translation:

Be Good People

Smile.

Strive to make every person you meet smile too.

Be open to criticism and always try to improve yourself.

Know that the greatest quality a person can have is the ability to make another person happy.

Open your ears to the needs of others and open your eyes to their pain.

Try to smile as much as possible even when it’s hard.

Pay attention to the small people who fall in the corners of the eye.

Appreciate the little things the world has to offer, especially nature and music.

And most importantly, be good people in your own way. Don’t let society dictate to you what makes you good people, just try as hard as you can, and even when you fall, know that that’s the road to success.

Love yourselves and the world. When you radiate happiness, a circle of joy will slowly form that will create a better world.

Translation courtesy the family.

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