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.
"However, Israel has not sufficed with mere survival. We believe in life, in the vision of a free people," the president said. "A society that values tradition alongside modernity."
"We are obligated by their deaths to build a more moral home, where all its members are equal. That is our obligation to their heroism, to their lives that are no more," he said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot spoke following Rivlin, saying that the Western Wall symbolizes "the Jewish people's magnificent history and our ability to build and be built, to defend ourselves - and to fight for our existence, as a united, independent and steadfast people."
"Here we will remember our fallen brothers and from here we will issue the call: The Jewish People will remember its sons and daughters, the loyal and the brave, the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces."
Eisenkot said that the IDF was a true "people's army," that took its members from all sectors of society and then fed them back into society to contribute again as citizens. "The secret of the Israel Defense Forces lies in it being an inseparable part of Israeli society," he said.
Eisenkot sympathized with the pain of the families of the soldiers who fell during the past year. "Additional names have been etched on the stone tablets: the names of the best of our sons, daughters - commanders and soldiers. The names of those dear to you, including those who fought bravely in Operation Protective Edge, are etched into our hearts," he said.
Of the 116 who lost their lives over the course of the last year, 67 soldiers and five civilians were killed during Operation Protective Edge last summer; leaving behind 131 bereaved families, 11 widows, 26 orphans, and 187 bereaved siblings. Two soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah missile attack in January. In addition, 35 IDF disabled veterans who died of their wounds have been recognized as IDF fallen soldiers this year.
"The loss and the hole that has been left will never be filled," Eisenkot said to the bereaved families. "However, in bearing your grief and in your journey through life - you are not alone - and you never shall be," he added. The IDF and its commanders will always be there to support and accompany the bereaved families - to remember and never forget, Eisenkot vowed.
The chief of staff promised to continue to increase the preparedness of the IDF to deal with the threats that still challenge the Jewish state 67 years afters its founding.
"Because of the fighting spirit of the fallen soldiers, on the eve of Israel's 67th Independence Day, we can be proud of the great military strength that grants security to the residents and citizens of Israel and ensures its continued existence," he said.