Two candidates, one path: Who will head Yad Labanim Haifa?

(haipo) – The race for the position of chairman of Yad Labanim Haifa: On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, elections will be held for the leadership of the Haifa branch of the Yad Labanim organization. Two candidates are running for the position: Eli Debi and Yehuda Farhi, both bereaved brothersBoth have a rich history of work in the field of commemoration and support for families. One of them will replace the outgoing chairman, Haim Lantzitsky, a bereaved father who lost his son, First Sergeant Ilan Lantzitsky, in the helicopter disaster.

We approached both with identical questions, and tried to understand where each of them aspires to lead the organization. The result: two different paths – but one shared dream.

Who is allowed to vote in the "Yad Labanim" elections:

Yad Labanim is a national organization that encompasses commemoration and represents bereaved families. Each municipal branch is an affiliate of the national organization. In Haifa, 700 members are registered, who pay dues and are eligible to vote in elections for the head of the Haifa branch of Yad Labanim.

Yehuda Farhi: From personal commemoration to a comprehensive urban vision

Yehuda Farhi, brother of the late Yosef (Jojo) Farhi, who died with the submarine Dakar in January 1968, sees the commemoration as a mission born out of deep personal pain. A landscape architect by profession, he dedicated his adult life to projects commemorating the fallen of the IDF in general and the Navy in particular – with the belief that his actions stem from a higher purpose.

Yehuda began his personal journey of commemoration just after he posted online his memories of the attack at the Maxim restaurant in 2004, in which members of the Almog family were killed. In response to the post, a friend of his late brother contacted him and began telling him details he did not know. This opened a door for him to a rich world of memory, commemoration, and community action that became the center of his life.

Commemoration projects across the country – private ventures that became public

Yehuda Farhi took a central role in the planning and construction of many monuments, the most notable of which are those commemorating the victims of the Eilat destroyer, the victims of the Bat Sheva landing craft disaster, the Eilat truck disaster, and the Military Internment Camp Fallen Grove.

Many of these initiatives were led privately, while recruiting volunteers and resources on a national scale, and sometimes - while struggling against opposition or helplessness on the part of the authorities.

For example, he designed the Military Boarding School's Grove of the Fallen, which also included the fallen from the Iron Swords War. In 2024, he took part in the restoration of the monument to the fallen of the destroyer Eilat in the city of Nesher - a project in which he collaborated with survivors of the destroyer itself.

The ceremony at Givat Shmuel – how a handful of volunteers turned a ceremony into a household name

One of the most prominent examples of Farhi's work is the annual commemoration ceremony for the Dakar submarine in Givat Shmuel. According to him, this is an initiative that began with a small handful of citizens - and over the years has become a respected and central event, with the participation of senior officials from the defense establishment, American diplomats, religious figures, Uhid and Rescue volunteers, and more.

"I believe in the power of civic initiative," he says, "and that's what I want to bring to the Yad Labanim Haifa organization – a spirit of independent action, free from political struggles, connected to the public and the community."

Vision for the priesthood: Creative commemoration, strengthening families, and avoiding politicization

According to him, his vision is based on five main principles: placing bereaved parents at the top of the list of priorities, promoting creative ways to commemorate while removing bureaucratic barriers, improving the well-being of families, recruiting volunteers from the bereaved community, and empowering family members personally - so that they can transform from witnesses to pain into community activists.

Farhi emphasizes the importance of commemorating the fallen citizens of Haifa in the Memorial Garden, while incorporating the option of personal commemoration according to the families' wishes. He says that digital and educational elements can also be incorporated that will connect the general public to the stories of the fallen, especially through urban hiking trails in collaboration with educational and academic institutions.

Perpetuating maritime heritage – connecting the city to the sea

Farhi also emphasizes strengthening the city of Haifa's connection to its maritime heritage, through the establishment of monuments along the coastline. He notes the monument to the Arlozorov smugglers and the sailors of the "Haslosha" as the beginning of a welcome process, and believes that it is appropriate to establish a unique memorial site for the submarine fleet fighters - those who strove to return to Haifa and never did.

The personal story behind the mission – the brother and the guiding hand

Yehuda Farhi says that since the fall of his brother Yossi, the late, he has felt that a "vanished hand" is guiding him on the path of life - toward commemoration, public involvement, and the promotion of the memory of the fallen. He draws this belief, among other things, from the recordings that Yossi left before his enlistment - songs about the sea, storms, and loss - which foretold his fate. This story accompanies him on his public journey to this day.

Eli Debi: Proven performance and spirit of community leadership

The second candidate, Eli Debi, brings with him a record of extensive public activity spanning over 15 years. 63 years old, a bereaved brother since 1978, Debi has been working for many years to promote the rights, commemoration and welfare of bereaved family members – from parents to siblings to orphans. "I'm not here to talk, I'm here to do," he says, presenting a long list of initiatives that are already ripe for action on the ground.

Building a database of bereaved families in Haifa – an innovative registration program

One of the first steps that Debbie plans to take, if elected, is to establish a well-organized municipal list of all bereaved families in Haifa. "Today we are talking about a few hundred members of the organization - but in reality there are about 3,000 bereaved families. Everyone needs to be exposed to the activity, receive information and choose whether to join. This accessibility is the basis for any change."

Key initiatives – Boys' Grove, legislative lobbies and youth education

Eli Deby is behind a number of notable initiatives, including the "Boys' Grove" project – a green urban space to commemorate all of Haifa's fallen, which includes QR-codes with life stories. Another project is the Bereaved Parents and Siblings Lobby, which is designed to promote recognition of rights and connect families with elected officials. In addition, Eli initiated "Living the Songs" – a musical project that revives the memory of fallen through personal music.

The struggle for recognition of bereaved siblings – a personal and public victory

Recognizing bereaved siblings as part of the cycle of bereavement

One area in which Debbie has particularly stood out is the struggle to have bereaved siblings recognized as part of the cycle of bereavement. According to him, this is a personal struggle that has lasted 15 years, and which only recently ended with official recognition. He led this struggle with full volunteerism, out of a sense of mission and an expression of his personal voice – as a bereaved sibling of not just one sibling, but two family members who have fallen.

Business and public entrepreneurship, full family life

Debi is also a business and community entrepreneur, a father of three and grandfather of grandchildren, and describes himself as “an elected official at heart.” He says he brings “a new spirit” to the organization—a practical, action-based approach that understands both the needs of families and the limitations of the city. He strives to connect the two worlds—the personal and the public—and create a home open to all.

On the upcoming elections – hope for unity, not conflict

Both candidates emphasize their desire to lead the organization responsibly, in cooperation with the current leadership and without unnecessary conflicts. Debi also notes that he wants to remove "all past sediments" and turn the Haifa branch into a home that includes everyone - parents, siblings, widows and orphans.

The question that remains open: Who will lead the branch in the coming years?

The upcoming elections for the leadership of the Haifa branch of the Yad Labanim organization are expected to be not only a decision between two candidates, but also between two worldviews: one spiritual, narrative, and based on personal experiences – and the other systemic, practical, and based on proven action. Both strive to ease the pain of bereavement, honor the memory of the fallen, and build a stronger and more inclusive community future.

The polls will open on Tuesday, May 20. Time will tell where the voter will lead the Haifa branch of Yad Labanim.

Next Tuesday, 20/05, elections will be held for the position of Chairman of Yad Labanim Haifa Branch. Two candidates will be running for the position: Eli Debi and Yehuda Farhi. We contacted both candidates and asked them a number of identical questions:

Yehuda Farhi

Farhi is a bereaved brother of the submarine Dakar, with whom contact was lost while she was on her way home in January 1968. He is a landscape architect and is involved in the restoration of nature and the landscape.

For years I have been involved in commemorating the fallen of the IDF and the Navy in particular, and military boarding schools. Since only this year has the path been opened for bereaved brothers to run for the position of chairman of the Haifa branch. I would like to bring all my experiences, many years, in which I have acted and assisted the families of the fallen and managed to harness, to my surprise…., good people who embrace the bereaved families. From all corners of the nation. (Everything. Starting at Bat Galim Beach in 2004, I was the last to see the. complete Almog family (commander of the submarine. Leviathan), before they went to the Maxim restaurant, where the terrorist. Hinadi Gerdat from Jenin was waiting for them. . And the sad end is already known. When I wrote online about the last moments of the Almog family. A friend of my late brother came across me and began sending me stories about my brother, whom I never knew. This is where my commemoration journey began. I have been leading it for more than 20 years. - of course with the help of friends for the pain. As a background, it will be explained that my brother volunteered for the sailing The submarine, the Crocodile, never spoke or told about his actions. After the Six Day War. After returning from a dangerous operation in which the submarine Crocodile penetrated the enemy port in Alexandria - my brother was sent to reinforce the submarine Decker that was found. Then in renovations in Portsmouth. From the stories that the friend told me. With the encouragement of friends, I created an amazing presentation and memorial book that we presented at the Naval Museum. The next day when I came to thank the association for the hospitality. '- I was recruited to the Naval Association. From here the commemoration began to roll. When Yad disappeared, directing me from commemoration to commemoration. And what are these things supposed to be? About a year after the event, I was called to the flag. To erect the monument to the fighters of the destroyer Eilat. There I was exposed to the mysticism of the sea..and from there an article was produced. The next commemoration was for the victims of the Bat Sheva landing craft and the truck disaster in which 24 soldiers died in the Eilat port in January 1970. We erected a monument to those who fell in an event that years have dragged on and on, thus hurting the families of the fallen. We held a private commemoration, against all odds, on the beach in Eilat. We also raised the bow of an old landing craft from the Eilat port that was about to be scrapped/scrapped to mark the cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the Navy. This ceremony commemorated the Bat Sheva landing craft disaster. The ceremony was attended by my friends, Major Generals Yossi Ben Hanan and Amos Yaron, and other paratrooper commanders. and the Israeli Navy from Haifa. (The late Yossi Morag). In 2023, I voluntarily established, together with my friends from the military boarding school, the Military Boarding School Fallen Grove, including those who fell Iron swords from the boarding school, that same year I planned the accessibility of the many memorial sites scattered across the Golan Heights for the Ministry of Defense. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. In 2024, I restored, together with the survivors of the destroyer Eilat. A monument in memory of their comrades in the city of Nesher. Needless to mention the ceremony for the fighters of the submarine Dakar in Givat Shmuel (far from Haifa) which is expanding. Year after year. In recent years, the ceremony has been honored beyond the commanders of the Navy, such as the American military attaché and naval attaché at the embassy. USA. This is an example of a ceremony that began with a handful of good people who, against all odds, established an event that is renewed and expands every year. And has become a voluntary civil ceremony. Many participants include representatives of the submarine fleet, the "Friends" association, the Magen David Adom organization. Unity and Rescue. Givat Shmuel Municipality, Givat Shmuel Yeshiva, and more. Good people who have mobilized to embrace the families. The bereaved. In conclusion, I believe in my ability and experience to harness broad support in commemorating the fallen and assisting the bereaved parents and siblings in coping with and alleviating the pain present at every moment of their lives.

To prevent shocks in the organization, I strive for the transfer of the position to be in full cooperation with the chairman of the Yad Labanim Haifa organization and without introducing political influencers into the organization. Clearing the spirits of the debate that have recently entered the organization and, most importantly, sharing with mutual respect for everyone.

The first thing I will do. Will be to define the goals of the new committee with an emphasis on the following issues: 1. Putting the bereaved parents before everything.. Although I am a bereaved brother, the parents "who lost their chick that fell from the nest and could not pick it up. "Above me." And they will be entitled to the respect they deserve before everyone else.
2. Promoting creative ways to commemorate and remove barriers resulting from stagnation in the local authority, in collaboration with elected officials and the Haifa Municipality.
3. Concern for the well-being of the bereaved families and relief from their pain.
4..Recruiting volunteers from among the families. To contribute. In the community as part. of the pain relief process.
5. Promoting the topic of "personal empowerment" and strengthening families on their way to becoming a bird. The sand rose from the ruins. His life.

It is accepted that the fallen citizens of Haifa should be commemorated centrally in the Haifa Memorial Garden, which is an accessible place and an open public space all year round. Private commemorations should also be allowed in accordance with the wishes of the families in places approved by the city's commemoration committee, which will of course be represented on the committee of the Yad Labanim organization.

The Haifa Municipality, for its part, is in a situation where there are concerns that the commemorations have gotten out of proportion. I plan to get elected officials out of the stagnation and fear of dealing with an issue that, for them, is a hot potato. Therefore, I am in contact with the chairman of the commemoration committee, Prof. Yossi Ben-Artzi, and I have presented him with a number of suggestions on how to deal with the painful issue without harming the families (especially from the Iron Swords War). I would like to point out that, in my opinion, it is possible to commemorate the events of the city's fallen through tourist routes in the city, through which it will be possible to learn about the legacy of the fallen. All this. At the invitation of students of the city's design schools. Joining efforts, cooperation and the necessary openness is the way out that can also boost tourism in the city. - Time will tell. I also support the establishment of a central memorial wall in the Memorial Garden. As an addition to another milestone for visitors and residents of the city.
Another point that I will focus on is strengthening the connection between the maritime heritage of the port city of Haifa and the seashore. Recently, a monument was erected to the Arlozorov smugglers, as well as a commemoration. For the sailors of the ship "Hashloshlosha", these are the first and important buds of a historical connection between the city and its maritime heritage. And I plan to commemorate on the seashore the fighters of the submarine fleet who, like the Arlozorov smugglers, strove to reach their home port but... never arrived.

My brother and I and the hand that directs me to immortality." My brother Yosef (Jojo) Farhi, the late, was a fighter on the submarine Tanin that penetrated the port of Alexandria during the Six-Day War. We knew nothing about his actions in the submarine fleet and all that is known about him today is from his friends, who only in recent years have opened their hearts, which were closed by the shock they experienced at the age of 20. Yossi left behind a tape of songs that he recorded before his enlistment in the army. Surprisingly or not, the themes of the songs are the sea, shipwrecks, storms at sea and the sailor's promise to his girlfriend to return next spring. All this. without him knowing that his fate. would be tied to the sea. The mystical connection between us - the brothers - began on Shabbat, when the connection with the submarine was severed. Since then I feel a hand guiding me to the commemoration. (See the memorial booklet) I will mention the vision on the mountain. A greeting. Happy New Year that comes after the 36 attack in Maxim and the beginning of the commemorations. The mobilization. of many good people from all corners. of the nation. (religious, secular, Arab) to support the bereaved families.

Eli Debi

Ben 63

1. I come with proven performance, with 15 years of success, not just talk and promises. I bring the connections I have accumulated over the years with all the establishment elements that I will bring into the action. I come with passion and energy for a position that is a life journey and not as a project for experience. I am motivated by love for people, by the natural need to bridge gaps, by the need to bring a new spirit to the house, to bring a Yad Labanim home that all siblings and parents will very much want to come to. I believe that in order to be a CEO, you must first be an employee of the company. You cannot be at the top before you know the conduct and the umbrella.
2. The first thing I will do with the committee that is elected is to remove all past residues from the elections and mobilize the spirit of the committee for action. In the public sphere, I will set out on a systematic plan with the municipal system to locate and register all bereaved family members in the city into one family: parents, siblings, widows, orphans into one list to expose everyone to the activity and whoever wants rights will join the organization. It is estimated that there are about 3000 bereaved family members and only a very few members of Yad Labanim.
3. I understand the needs of the municipality and also the needs of the families to commemorate their loved ones. I will bridge so that everyone can have a good time within the city's limitations. This is one of the reasons for initiating the Boys' Grove project that I initiated and passed with the approval of the City Council, which will be one urban grove for all the fallen on the one hand, and a natural, green, growing tree that breathes hope and peace into the family carrying an innovative digital curated containing the story of space on the other.
4. I am a bereaved brother since 1978 when my brother Zadok, the late, was killed in preparations for Operation Litani in the Golan Heights, and a nephew to Ami, the late, who was killed in Jericho in 1968. So I experienced the bereavement at home in several ways. I am a father of 3 lovely children, 2 of whom are student twins, and the eldest is a mother to 2 grandchildren who are the source of my passion to make the world a better place. I am an elected official in my soul and every inch of my body, and I make a living from ventures, businesses, and business connections.
5. I am an entrepreneur at heart and have initiated many projects and initiatives for the bereaved family. First, no one will stand before me with knowledge of all the laws and regulations for the laws of bereavement, and this is in order to make the most and best information available to bereaved families. And all on a full volunteer basis.
6. I initiated the bereaved brothers' organization "For the Victory of My Brother" to bring the cry of the bereaved brothers and recognition of them, a 15-year struggle that bore fruit and the brothers were recognized two years ago. Volunteering
7. I initiated the Boys' Grove to commemorate all the martyrs of Haifa,
8. I initiated the lobby for bereaved parents and siblings, which I manage voluntarily, to bring the voices of bereaved parents and siblings to elected officials and legislators. I initiated the Haifa Veterans and Bereaved Families Council to the Mayor to make the cry of the families accessible to the city administration. I initiated the "Living the Songs" project under the auspices of the College for Artificial Intelligence to breathe life into the fallen through songs they wrote or about them in a type of music they loved. I was the chairman of the Rehabilitation and Welfare Committee in the organization to bring welfare and benefits to all families. I initiated laws for families that are currently on the government's table.
9. And other private voluntary initiatives to commemorate the fallen