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Rabbi Doron Perez shared with Ynetnews the heart-wrenching story of his son, Captain Daniel Perez, who was killed in the October 7 massacre while defending the border against the onslaught of Hamas terrorists. Rabbi Perez will participate in the world’s largest English-language Memorial Day ceremony at Yad L’Shiryon in Latrun, hosted by Masa Israel Journey and broadcast live by Ynetnews on Tuesday evening.
The family, which immigrated from South Africa, has long cherished the values of service and sacrifice. “We come from a very physically active family, very sporting family, very Zionistic family,” Rabbi Perez explains. “Therefore, to me it seemed clear both in terms of their ideological drive as well as their physical abilities and energies that they would probably both choose combat. They did.”
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Father of slain soldier held by Hamas in an interview
(Photo: Miki Schmidt)
By October 7, 2023, both of Rabbi Perez's sons had committed to military service: his eldest, Yonatan, as a company commander in the paratroopers, and his youngest, Daniel, as a tank commander in the Armored Corps. “On that day, Daniel commanded a tank in the Nahal Oz outpost,” Rabbi Perez recounts, a sense of pride mingling with the sorrow in his voice.
The battle for Nahal Oz
The details of Daniel's final battle are painfully vivid, thanks to the tank's “black box,” which recorded the internal communications during the fight. “We actually know a tremendous amount,” Rabbi Perez states. “The reason we know a lot about the actual battle is because the black box of the tank... has allowed us to listen to it.” They have access to the recordings of the 2 hours and 16 minutes that Daniel and his crew fought valiantly against overwhelming odds.
“It’s one of the most painful things in the world to listen to the last 2 hours and 16 minutes of your son's life, knowing how it’s gonna end,” he reflects. “But it’s also one of the most privileged abilities to listen to how he and his tank crew fought with such commitment and conviction and unity and camaraderie.” He recalls the last half hour of the battle, where footage captured Daniel getting off the tank to assist a group of Golani sharpshooters. “This footage for us is very, very powerful,” he says. “It’s the last picture we have of Daniel alive.”
On that fateful day, Nahal Oz was the hardest-hit base, with 53 soldiers losing their lives. “They left the safety of their tank position to do everything they could to stop this wave of 50 or 60 terrorists,” Rabbi Perez explains. “They killed most of them. Unfortunately, the tank was overrun.”
For Rabbi Perez, the loss of Daniel is a wound that continues to ache. “With all the pain that our son is unfortunately deceased, the fact that they fought so heroically gives us some type of meaning, solace, and strength,” he shares. Yet, the longing for closure remains a haunting presence. “Bringing him back will be the closure that you're looking for.”
“Daniel's blood-stained uniform was found on October 8,” he recalls. “After 5 weeks, the army came to tell us that it was Daniel's uniform and his blood... It was incredibly hard to know that Daniel had been injured.” The family had hoped for months that he was still alive. “I must say, the following... it was the worst day of my life, but I just wanna say... at least we have a grave.”
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Rabbi Perez finds himself connected to families who are still searching for their loved ones. “I know friends of mine who are soldiers... said to me, Doron, you and others have got a grave to go to. We don’t even have a grave,” he laments.
A bond forged in tragedy: Families of the tank crew
Matan Angrest, the sole survivor of Daniel's tank crew, remains in the hands of Hamas. “The Angrest family has become to us like family,” Rabbi Perez shares. “The knowledge that… he for 2.5 hours... was talking to Daniel. He's the only one who also knows what happened in the tank.”
The bond formed through shared tragedy has deepened their resolve. “We are incredibly pained and active... to do all we can to bring Matan and all of the hostages back,” he states. “I know what it's like to go through 163 days believing your son's alive. This family [the Angrest family]... knows that their son is alive and God knows what he's going through there.”
Despite the overwhelming grief, Rabbi Perez remains focused on honoring the legacy of his son and supporting the families of other fallen soldiers and hostages. “We hope and pray that all of our soldiers who lost their lives will be remembered, and every single one of our hostages will come back as soon as possible,” he said.
Over 4,500 people are expected to attend Masa Israel Journey's English-language Memorial Day ceremony at Yad L’Shiryon in Latrun in person, with remarks from Masa CEO Meir Holtz. “Yom HaZikaron, our Day of Remembrance, is an essential part of Israel and the Jewish people," Holtz said.
"Each year, we hold the ceremony in English and other languages, primarily to make this day accessible to Masa fellows in Israel — in a language they understand and with content they can relate to. This year, this goal feels more important than ever. The Jewish people are at a pivotal moment; our unity and solidarity are critical. That’s why this year’s ceremony theme is — 'Together We Remember'. This ceremony is for us to focus on the heroes, cherish the world they left behind and try to be worthy of their sacrifice. May their memory be a blessing”.