The story of the Mark family is a chilling and unfathomable chain of losses, yet also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit to rise from grief. Shira Mark, who found herself taking on the role of an older sister and maternal figure to her younger siblings at a young age, is now establishing the "Michael Center" in the Golan Heights — a recovery and healing center for those affected by war.
The first tragedy struck the family eight and a half years ago when her father, Rabbi Michael (Miki) Mark, was murdered in a shooting attack in the southern Hebron Hills in the West Bank. Terrorists opened fire on the family vehicle, leaving Shira’s mother, Chava, critically injured, while two of her younger siblings, Pdaya and Tehila, were also wounded.
Rabbi Mark, the head of a yeshiva in the settlement of Otniel and a central figure in the community, left behind a wife and ten children.
In 2019, less than three years after her father's murder, Shira lost her older brother Shlomi. A former company commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion who continued into a career in the Shin Bet, Shlomi had been an anchor in Shira's life. He died in a motorcycle accident during his service.
With the outbreak of the Gaza war, the family endured another blow. Their beloved cousin, Elchanan Kalmanson, fell during a heroic battle in Kibbutz Be'eri. Elchanan, an expert in urban defense and counterterrorism, worked tirelessly for 14 hours rescuing trapped residents in the kibbutz.
Alongside his brother Menachem and nephew Itiel, a former team commander in the IDF Combat Engineering Corops’ Yahalom unit, they used an armored jeep to go house-to-house, saving civilians based on cries for help.
Among others, they rescued a young girl hiding in a closet after her parents were murdered. Their efforts saved over 100 kibbutz residents before Elchanan was fatally shot by terrorists.
Then came yet another devastating loss. Shira's younger foster brother, Pdaya, was killed in December 2023 during operational activity in Gaza. Lieutenant Pdaya Menachem Mark, a combat soldier in Givati's reconnaissance unit, was just 22 years old when he fell alongside seven of his comrades.
Upon hearing of his cousin Elchanan's death, Pdaya refused to leave his soldiers to attend the funeral. He hadn’t returned home since the war began.
"Pdaya waited to serve in the IDF his whole life," his sister Orit said. "He always loved the land and family was everything to him." Shira added, "His bravery in battle was extraordinary, but Pdaya was a hero in everyday life as well, ever since the horrific attack that took our father and left our mother injured.”
"Pdaya managed to live a life full of meaning, resilience, and strength," she recounted. "Despite this third loss in our family, I don’t feel we’re defeated. This is a victory because Pdaya fought out of love, not hate."
From the depths of unimaginable pain and loss, Shira Mark has chosen life and aid for others. The "Michael Center," to be established in the Golan Heights, aims to provide a refuge for war victims — soldiers, women, men and children.
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Named after her father, the center will stand as a living testament to the power of the human spirit to transcend pain and transform it into a source of hope and healing for others.
"I reach out to you with an open heart and a life story woven with pain and loss but also with hope and growth," Shira said. "Despite all the loss and hardship, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of healing and the possibility of living a life of hope and love."