(Hai Pa) – In Haifa, moving memorial rallies were held in memory of the fallen soldiers of Israel's armed forces, with the participation of public figures, bereaved families and artists. The ceremonies incorporated testimonies, songs and memorial ceremonies, which touched the hearts of the participants.
At the ceremony in the Memorial Garden in Haifa, moving songs and heartbreaking speeches were heard, reminding us all of the terrible price paid by the fallen, their families, and the entire people of Israel in the struggle for this land.
Next to the stage, pictures and names of the many martyrs, citizens of the city of Haifa, from the period of the War of Independence to the present day, were projected. Among them were fighters as well as those murdered in hostilities, from infancy to the elderly.
The rally – "A Voice Left to Tell" – was held with the participation of the Mayor, Minister of Immigration and Absorption – Ofir Sofer, Chairman of the Haifa Yad Labanim Organization – Haim Lantzitzky, representative of the "IDF Widows and Orphans" organization – Mira Peer, and bereaved families, and included testimonies, readings, and poems, which described the life stories of the fallen through the eyes of friends and family members, who preserve their memory.
During the ceremony, Mira Peer, widow of the late Avinoam Alexandrovich, who fell in the Yom Kippur War, lit a memorial torch. Rabbi Eliyahu Blum read the "God of Mercy" prayer and Yehuda Farhi, brother of the late Yossi Farhi, one of the fighters on the "Dakar" submarine, read "Kaddish." The rally was followed by a special musical performance with the participation of singer Ehud Banai and a wreath-laying ceremony accompanied by members of the "Rabin Mechinat".
At the same time, a memorial rally, "What I Didn't Have Time to Say," was held at the "Beit Ha'am" garden in Kiryat Haim. The rally was attended by Deputy and Acting Mayor Sophie Nakash, and representatives of bereaved families, representatives of the "Yad Labanim" organization, and members of the Kiryat Haim community. At the event, Rabbi Levi Oyrachman read the "God of Mercy" prayer, and Yehuda Dahan, a bereaved brother and a member of the Yad Labanim organization and the Haganah board, read "Kaddish." The rally was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.
Additional memorial events were held in community centers throughout the city. In addition, memorial song evenings were held in several locations in the city: in Ramat Alon with singer Yuval De Levi, in the synagogue plaza in Kiryat Shmuel, at the Ramat Begin Community Center and the Neve Yosef Community Center.
"Singing in Their Memory" evening produced by Ethos
Later in the evening, at 22:00 PM, "Singing and Remembering" evenings will be held at the Haifa Auditorium with singer Ehud Banai and at the North Theater with singer Avi Toledano.
During the singing in the auditorium, photos and videos of the victims of the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, were projected. The combination of the music and the images filled those present with terrible pain.
Ehud Banai sang a selection of his songs accompanied by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra. The combination of his familiar songs with classical instruments produced a unique and rare sound that filled the hall. It reminded us of the cultural richness that exists in our city.
