Torah scroll honoring soldier slain on Oct. 7 completed ahead of Memorial Day
Sgt. Segev Schwartz, 20, fell in the battle at the IDF’s Sufa outpost during the Hamas onslaught
Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
In the long, terrible months after October 7, 2023, as Sarah Schwartz mourned her son Sgt. Segev Schwartz, 20, who was killed in battle at the IDF Sufa outpost, she wondered what she could do to memorialize him.
“Some people suggested dedicating a Torah scroll in his honor, but I was scared it would be too difficult,” she told The Times of Israel over the phone.
At some point, though, close to a year after Segev’s death, something changed.
“I felt that a new connection between me and my son was forged, and he was asking me to make him a Torah scroll,” Schwartz said.
On Tuesday, ahead of Memorial Day, Schwartz’s vision was realized at a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where President Isaac Herzog participated in the writing of the scroll’s final letters.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I want to thank you for your special child and his contribution to the country,” Herzog told Sarah and her husband Ehud.
Segev had initially joined the army in a non-combat track, while pursuing an engineering degree.
“Sometime later, he shared with me that he felt it was not the right path for him,” Schwartz said. “I suggested that he join an intelligence unit, like his older brothers, but he said he did not want to sit behind a computer, he wanted to do something more meaningful.”
Segev eventually enlisted in the Nahal Brigade as an infantry soldier.
On October 7, 2023, as thousands of terrorists from Gaza invaded southern Israel, Segev was stationed in the Sufa outpost near the kibbutz of the same name.
“For a while, he fought outside the base with 11 fellow soldiers, but then they were told by their officer to shelter in the dining hall,” Schwartz said.
As Segev was running, he was shot in the leg. Eventually, he managed to reach the dining hall.
“He told other soldiers that the situation outside was scary and confusing, and to be careful to avoid friendly fire,” Schwartz said. “Around 8 a.m., the terrorists managed to throw a grenade into the room. Other soldiers pushed it away, and the grenade stopped next to Segev. He did not move it. The grenade detonated, and Segev absorbed the explosion with his body. He died, and over 30 people were saved.”
His family was only informed of his death three days later.
Schwartz said that her son was full of joy and was a source of togetherness.
“He touched other people’s hearts easily and always focused on the positive side of both people and situations,” she said.
“Sometimes I ask myself why Segev chose to sacrifice himself, but he was very loyal to his friends,” she added.
A Torah scroll must be handwritten on parchment by a specially trained scribe, known as a “sofer” in Hebrew.
When she decided to have a Torah written for Segev, Schwartz asked for the help of Rabbi Shlomo Raanan, chairman and founder of Ayelet HaShachar. The organization describes its mission as “creating a united society of religious and non-religious Jews in Israel.”
“He told me he would get it done,” Schwartz said. “I was so excited that I started to cry. I felt a string connected the sky to my heart and that this was exactly what was needed to commemorate Segev.”
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and former Ashkenazi chief rabbi David Lau also met with the family to honor the soldier’s memory. Yosef wrote a few letters himself.
According to Schwartz, Raanan is now procuring a Torah cover for the scroll, which will then be brought to Beit She’an, where the family lives.
“I want to make sure the scroll is in a place where it is used as much as possible to commemorate Segev’s sacrifice, so we are thinking of donating it to a school,” she said.
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