At the wall of the fallen in the Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham, students and rabbis gathered to honor Staff Sergeant Yair Hananya, 22, from Mitzpe Netofa, who was killed in combat on Saturday in Gaza. Hananya served as a platoon sergeant in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion and was set to be discharged from the IDF in just one month.
He died alongside Staff Sgt. Itay Parizat, 20, from Petah Tikva in an explosion triggered by an IED inside a building in Jabaliya. Hananya is the yeshiva’s 10th student to fall in this war.
On Sunday, students and rabbis came together once more for words of encouragement and collective reflection, focusing on yet another farewell to a beloved student of the yeshiva — a prominent institution in religious Zionism.
The head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Wolfson, shared that "Yair is the fourth soldier from the same class to fall. Now, we – members of the yeshiva and the friends who remain from his unit – are dedicated to supporting one another and grappling with this painful loss. We hope to find the strength to carry on and walk the long path ahead in this just war, praying it ends with a great victory for the people of Israel and the safe return of all our captives."
Wolfson spoke about his fallen student, painting a picture of who Yair was. "Yair was a joyful, warm-hearted young man, gentle-spirited, always smiling, and exceptionally kind. He had a radiant presence, loved to sing, and contributed his unique voice to musical projects at the yeshiva," the rabbi said.
"He was a man of integrity with a rare sincerity that drove him to take on command responsibilities in the army," he continued. "This was no simple decision; it was a challenging path that others might have struggled to take. But he persisted, driven by his own truth. He fought in Gaza from the beginning of this war, part of the brave fighting force of the Shaked Battalion, defending Israel. Tragically, he fell in this just battle, just moments before his release."
"The pain is unbearable. The 10 yeshiva students who have fallen are an unbearable sacrifice we are forced to bear for the sovereignty of Israel," read a message from the yeshiva on Saturday night.
Other Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham students who fell during the war are: Sergeant Ariel Eliyahu, 19, Sergeant First Class (res.) Yinon Fleishman, 31, Staff Sergeant Eitan Dov Rosenzweig, 21, Captain Eitan Fisch, 23, Sergeant Yakir Yedidya Schenkolewski, 21, Sergeant Major (res.) Gideon Ilani, 35, Sergeant Major (res.) Elisha Levinshtern, 38, Staff Sergeant Efraim Yachman, 21, and Sergeant First Class (res.) Ziv Chen, 27.
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