On the occasion of Tisha B'Av, Fauda star Idan Amedi asked Israelis to care about each other and ask what more they can do for each other.
Amedi wrote about a fallen comrade Sergeant Major (res.) Akiva Yasinskiy, who had fixed and upgraded his helmet when they were serving in Gaza, and ultimately saved Amedis eyesight and hearing when he was injured. Yasinsky was killed in the same attack.
Amedi said Yasinskiy used to ask him "Where can we do more?", asking the nation to do the same on Tisha B'Av.
"That Saturday he decided to take my helmet and take care of additional protection. When I asked him what was urgent on Shabbat? He answered 'Be ready.' With a short sentence and a deed, he saved my sight and hearing in that damned event," Amedi wrote.
"Two weeks before Akiva was killed, we had a Shabbat in one of the Gaza border communities. We were a small group that needed this moment, each man for himself after several months of fighting. It was important to Akiva that we gather for meals. He would lead the prayer, we would eat and talk a little and each one would go about his own business. That Shabbat we both walked a lot around the houses, long walks designed to fill in the gaps about home, about what we left behind and also about the situation in Israel. He often asked me 'Where can we do more?' And I felt inside me as if it was saying to me, 'Do more Amedi.'"
The singer added that he is writing these words specifically on this date: "On the eve of Tisha B'Av we are all exposed to current affairs, to hatred between our leaders, and pettiness. A lack of understanding of the historical moment we are currently living. I am no longer addressing them, only us, as the late Akiva asked, Maybe we missed something and maybe we can do more. I have no answers lately. Just a lot of questions. and missing him."
Amedi shared a photo of the two of them hugging in Gaza, adding that this was "one of the last times. He hated cigarettes, I smoked them throughout the war without noticing. I love you my beloved brother, keep us safe. We need it."
Yasinskiy, 35, from Ramat Gan, was killed at the beginning of January along with five other soldiers in the incident in the al-Boreij refugee camp. In the accident, an explosive device, meant for a tunnel exploded, killing several soldiers and injuring others.
"For reasons that are still being investigated, this accident caused a lot of damage to our forces, two of the dead were part of my team," Amedi said during the press conference he held after his injury a few weeks later, unable to hold back the tears.
"How can I say goodbye to you? You would catch me at night after everyone had fallen asleep, and set me straight. You were my moral compass from the moment I woke up in intensive care, you told me about the degree you finished and managed to throw a sarcastic joke to me. I appreciate you and I love you forever. I failed in my mission as a commander to return them home safely, this pain will accompany me like a curse and mark of Cain until my last day," Amedi said.