Wednesday, 4 May 2022 / 3 Iyar 5782
President Isaac Herzog spoke today at the State Ceremony for Victims of Terrorism in Israel and Abroad at the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
President Isaac Herzog’s full speech:
Here, in this sacred place, we tell the story of our life here. It is the story of day-to-day heroism, the heroism of choosing to live in Israel. Here, at the memorial for these day-to-day heroes, their names are inscribed side by side forever. From all across the land, from all communities and faiths—a uniquely special Israeli mosaic: a mosaic of grief and pain. A mosaic of pride.
Israelis in their lives, and Israelis in their deaths, between whom terror drew no distinction, decreeing the same fate for all. The woman on the bus, on her way to work, who did not know that it was her final journey. The young father who physically shielded his infant son from a depraved terrorist’s hail of bullets in the heart of their neighborhood. The family who went out to celebrate in a restaurant, when a suicide bomber cut their lives short. The childhood friends who were never apart, neither in life nor in death. Not even when a murderer’s bullets caught up with them on a city street.
Ladies and gentlemen, the terror attacks that we have witnessed in recent weeks, and even in recent days, were further proof of this painful and deeply Israeli truth. And in such days of angst, and because of them, although the ceremonial protocol does not require it, I sensed an important duty to speak here today, in the first year of my Presidency, with you, dear bereaved families of victims of terrorism, and to express not only my profound identification with you but also the sense of identification that beats in the hearts of every citizen of Israel.
In recent weeks, Michal and I have been visiting the families who lost their loved ones in this present wave of terrorism, all across the country, from south to north. Each family and its own story; each and its own disaster. The pain of Israelis who lived their lives here, and without planning to, became day-to-day heroes: inseparable and deeply sad parts of the Israeli ethos.
We have met grieving yet inspirational families, pained and in agony—yet strong and proud. We have met young widows and orphan children; we have met parents and loving relatives, sisters, brothers, partners; we have met them all. And what astonishes us time and again is their internal resilience, their cohesiveness as families, and their unimaginable strength. I left each home and told Michal, “This nation is unbeatable! It is simply remarkable.” You, dear and beloved families, you give inspiration and strength to a whole nation.
Citizens of Israel, since the dawn of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, we have had to face the hostility of those who do not wish to see us living here. Even in recent months, and even this week, hatred and murderers have also attacked us without mercy. And this time, too—terror has not won, nor shall it win! The State of Israel is stronger than ever, stronger in spirit and might, responding with an iron fist and steadfast spirit against every attack and every threat. We all pray for different days, in which we may all see terror as a chapter of our past, which once was and is no longer. But until we are blessed with such days, we shall continue to stand guard and to defend ourselves.
Dear members of the family of grief, we are duty-bound to continue telling, from generation to generation, the stories of your loved ones, those who physically added another layer and another level to the history of our beloved country. I believe that the establishment of this new Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial will reflect their part in the building of our land and our state, and the story of the heroism of living here: a choice that sometimes incurs danger and a price, a price that tragically you have paid.
Dear bereaved families, as on every other day of the year, our hearts remain with you today, and especially today, and we hope and pray that you will know no more pain or sorrow, and that you will experience many joyful occasions.
On behalf of the people of Israel, I pray for the health and wellbeing of all those injured in terror attacks. May they merit full health, in spirit and in body. Speedily, and in our days, and may we say, Amen. May the memories of the victims of hostile acts remain in our hearts and in the heart of the nation forevermore.
Wednesday, 4 May 2022 / 3 Iyar 5782
President Isaac Herzog spoke today at the State Ceremony for Victims of Terrorism in Israel and Abroad at the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
President Isaac Herzog’s full speech:
Here, in this sacred place, we tell the story of our life here. It is the story of day-to-day heroism, the heroism of choosing to live in Israel. Here, at the memorial for these day-to-day heroes, their names are inscribed side by side forever. From all across the land, from all communities and faiths—a uniquely special Israeli mosaic: a mosaic of grief and pain. A mosaic of pride.
Israelis in their lives, and Israelis in their deaths, between whom terror drew no distinction, decreeing the same fate for all. The woman on the bus, on her way to work, who did not know that it was her final journey. The young father who physically shielded his infant son from a depraved terrorist’s hail of bullets in the heart of their neighborhood. The family who went out to celebrate in a restaurant, when a suicide bomber cut their lives short. The childhood friends who were never apart, neither in life nor in death. Not even when a murderer’s bullets caught up with them on a city street.
Ladies and gentlemen, the terror attacks that we have witnessed in recent weeks, and even in recent days, were further proof of this painful and deeply Israeli truth. And in such days of angst, and because of them, although the ceremonial protocol does not require it, I sensed an important duty to speak here today, in the first year of my Presidency, with you, dear bereaved families of victims of terrorism, and to express not only my profound identification with you but also the sense of identification that beats in the hearts of every citizen of Israel.
In recent weeks, Michal and I have been visiting the families who lost their loved ones in this present wave of terrorism, all across the country, from south to north. Each family and its own story; each and its own disaster. The pain of Israelis who lived their lives here, and without planning to, became day-to-day heroes: inseparable and deeply sad parts of the Israeli ethos.
We have met grieving yet inspirational families, pained and in agony—yet strong and proud. We have met young widows and orphan children; we have met parents and loving relatives, sisters, brothers, partners; we have met them all. And what astonishes us time and again is their internal resilience, their cohesiveness as families, and their unimaginable strength. I left each home and told Michal, “This nation is unbeatable! It is simply remarkable.” You, dear and beloved families, you give inspiration and strength to a whole nation.
Citizens of Israel, since the dawn of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, we have had to face the hostility of those who do not wish to see us living here. Even in recent months, and even this week, hatred and murderers have also attacked us without mercy. And this time, too—terror has not won, nor shall it win! The State of Israel is stronger than ever, stronger in spirit and might, responding with an iron fist and steadfast spirit against every attack and every threat. We all pray for different days, in which we may all see terror as a chapter of our past, which once was and is no longer. But until we are blessed with such days, we shall continue to stand guard and to defend ourselves.
Dear members of the family of grief, we are duty-bound to continue telling, from generation to generation, the stories of your loved ones, those who physically added another layer and another level to the history of our beloved country. I believe that the establishment of this new Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial will reflect their part in the building of our land and our state, and the story of the heroism of living here: a choice that sometimes incurs danger and a price, a price that tragically you have paid.
Dear bereaved families, as on every other day of the year, our hearts remain with you today, and especially today, and we hope and pray that you will know no more pain or sorrow, and that you will experience many joyful occasions.
On behalf of the people of Israel, I pray for the health and wellbeing of all those injured in terror attacks. May they merit full health, in spirit and in body. Speedily, and in our days, and may we say, Amen. May the memories of the victims of hostile acts remain in our hearts and in the heart of the nation forevermore.
