Remember and Recommit

This article was written by Rotem Oreg-Kalisky, founder and director of LIBRAEL's. The opinions expressed are his alone.

The Military Cemetery in Mount Herzl. Every family in Israel knows loss first hand - if not their own, then through a neighbor, a friend, a classmate.

Since last year, Israel has seen 458 more fallen soldiers and murdered civilians. Children, parents, siblings, loved ones, friends - each a world lost. Each a reminder that our freedom, security, sovereignty, and democracy come at a heartbreaking human cost. Even as we bow our heads in grief, 59 Israelis remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza - tortured, starved, beaten.

"As we are reunited with the memory of the fallen and share in the pain of their families, we must remember: their sacrifice must not be in vain."

Memorial Day in Israel is not merely symbolic. It is deeply personal. Every family here knows loss first hand - if not their own, then through a neighbor, a friend, a classmate. The sirens do not echo through empty streets; they echo through heavy hearts. As we are reunited with the memory of the fallen and share in the pain of their families, we must remember: their sacrifice must not be in vain.

Their sacrifice must enable a free, secure, prosperous, and peace-seeking life in Israel - the democratic nation-state of the Jewish people.

This is not just a slogan. It is a responsibility passed down through generations. Tens of thousands of Israelis have paid the ultimate price for fulfilling the dream enshrined in our national anthem: to be a free people in our homeland. And now it is up to us to live up to their sacrifice - not only by surviving, but by building a nation worthy of the cost.

Since October 7, every day is Memorial Day. October 7 destroyed our sense of safety and opened the millennia-old scars of hatred and persecution, a cruel reminder of the threats that Israelis and Jews still face. It also reminded all of us why Israel must remain not merely just, but strong; not just visionary, but vigilant.

What, then, does this Memorial Day ask of us?

"We must carry forward the dream for which our fallen died: a Jewish and democratic homeland that seeks peace, ensures justice, and provides opportunity and dignity for all its citizens."

First, that we remember - fully. Not only remember how our fallen died, but what they lived for. I, for instance, think of Sagi Golan z”l, my classmate from college, who protested constantly against the judicial overhaul and in favor of equality and democracy - and on October 7, two weeks before his wedding, rushed into combat to save lives. He was killed during the fight in Be’eri, after saving dozens of civilians that were held hostage by Hamas.

Sagi’s story is not only about bravery. It is about purpose. About believing in something larger than ourselves.

But more important than merely remembering, this day demands that we act. It calls on us to protect Israel’s borders as well as its soul. We must carry forward the dream for which our fallen died: a Jewish and democratic homeland that seeks peace, ensures justice, and provides opportunity and dignity for all its citizens.

That dream is far from being reality: we are paralyzed and scared. We are grieving and fearing. We are divided and exhausted. But we cannot allow pain to become hopelessness; or rage to eclipse our values. Strength is essential, but so is morality. Unity. Hope.

Even now, Israelis are showing incredible resolve. Families of hostages, supported by the vast majority of Israelis, rise each day to campaign not just for their loved ones, but for our collective conscience. Communities open their doors to the tens of thousands of displaced Israelis, whose homes were destroyed. Soldiers return to the frontlines with clarity and conviction, putting their lives on the line for a greater cause - a better, safer state of Israel.

So on this Memorial Day, we stand in silence. We delve into memory. We cry. But we must also recommit - to each other, to our ideals, to the future still ahead of us, and to the promise to do anything we can to make sure there will be no more fallen.

May the memory of the fallen serve as a beacon for us all, strengthening our resolve to build a country that honors their legacy with the life we choose to lead.

May their memory be a blessing - and a call.