As Israel begins its observance of Remembrance Day, IDF chief Eisenkott vows that bereaved families will never be alone.
President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday mourned Israel\’s fallen soldiers, but urged their grieving families to consider what the sacrifice of their loved ones had meant.
Speaking at the memorial torch-lighting ceremony at the Western Wall as Israel began its observance of Remembrance Day to honor 23,320 fallen soldiers and civilian victims of wars and terrorism, Rivlin told of his travels during the summer to the homes of bereaved families of soldiers who fell during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
"I learned to know them too late, when they were already gone," Rivlin said, explaining that those who perished came from all sectors of Israeli society.
"This summer I learned how real the loss is, that there is no longing that matches it," Rivlin said.
Along with the loss, however, we cannot stand above their graves and mourn their loss if we do not consider the meaning of their sacrifice, the president added.
"We are not people of war, we did not go to war blood thirsty, not this summer or ever," he said. "We were forced to fight and our children have been fated to the same to defend our home."
Rivlin said that Israel is obligated to try to prevent future wars, but is also obligated by the deaths of its sons and daughters to do all in its power to arrive at the next war ready.
"We must continue to live for the memory of our dear ones that we have lost," Rivlin said. "They have tried to erase us off the face of the earth but we have survived," he added.