Sergeant Uri Yitzhak Haddad, 21, from Be’er Sheva, a fighter in Battalion 931, the Nahal Brigade, who fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip, was laid to rest yesterday (Monday) on Mount Herzl. Uri is the sixth member of the Itamar Yeshiva to fall since the beginning of the war.
At the beginning of the funeral, a representative of the Nahal Brigade opened the eulogy: “Your constant phrase was, ‘What the IDF needs, we will do.’ You were always the first to help. You knew how to look at the big picture. The morale is always. We will not let your friends and commanders say goodbye to you and give you the last respect, they fight to protect the citizens of the country at any cost.”
Uri’s father, Rabbi Zion Haddad, mourned his son’s death and said: “I am not a man of words, nor a man of obituaries. At the last funeral I was here, we said, ‘God gave and God took away, may God’s name be blessed.’ And here I say – thank God for Your pure innocence. You were convinced of the rightness of the way. You were a special, sweet boy.
Uri’s mother, Chava, paid tribute to him: “My Ori, my Or, a sweet redhead with a permanent smile on her face who always says the right words at the right time. Who will sing for us on Shabbat evening now? You always told me.” As much as it is necessary to stay, we will postpone the return to the Yeshiva. As a mother, I will join the bereaved family in the difficult time, and we will not give up. The unity between us will spread a lot of light from your light. Every day I would say the psalm of – Psalm 27: ‘One thing I have asked of the Lord that I will ask, I will dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.’ And now Orikosh, together with my parents and all the royal slain, make a great noise in the sky and aim for complete victory.”
Uri’s brother Yishai, in his eulogy for his little brother, said: “At the beginning of the war, I was afraid that something would happen to you. I told you that I was watching over you, but you were the one who watched over me. You acted like the older brother. Thank you for watching over me. Thank you for being the older brother of the people of Israel. You gave your life for Your brothers, for our country, for people you don’t know. So thank you, on behalf of all the people of Israel. I’m sorry I didn’t manage to protect you, my little brother. I love you and miss you already.”
Sister Shira also paid tribute: “You did everything you could to protect the house and the homeland. I was always afraid of you because I knew your soul was too high for this world. You would all come. Be an advocate of honesty for the people of Israel, bring redemption, we can’t do it anymore. That our leaders have the proper thought, without apologizing.”
Uri’s younger brother, Zur, said: “Every time a warrior fell in battle, I asked myself, ‘How does it make sense that everyone is the best?’, now I understand. That perfect smile that is full of light and love. You were calm but also the strongest warrior. You wanted me to be good More, that we will all be better now you are always with us, I will miss you very much.”
Mayor of Beer Sheva, Robbie Danilovich: “Uri, you symbolize the beauty of the people of Israel. The beauty of the homeland and the beauty of the people and the beauty of the holy Torah of Israel and the faith. You and your friends symbolize the beauty and light that exists in this country. The cradle of faith, Judaism and kindness. The parents You are people of education who come from love. Here in Mount Herzl we shout the cry of our heroes who fight for this good country. I have attended over 50 funerals, I have bowed my head. They understand that our enemies only want to eliminate us and destroy us all. They sacrifice themselves so that we can live here. Our dear light, but a heavy one fell on Beer Sheva and the people of Israel. Our city hurts and mourns the fall of one of its beautiful and good sons who symbolize the beautiful land of Israel Israel lives and exists and is full of faith.”
Rabbi Yehoshua, head of the Itamar yeshiva, which since the beginning of the war has half of its people including teachers and rabbis recruited for the IDF and found in the various arenas, said of the late Uri: “Uri, modest, quiet, good hearted, always with a simple faith, you were happy, you loved the yeshiva and the friends. You fell as a hero, you fell as a warrior. You were a hero until the last moment. We have great sorrow, but we are not broken. We will continue to fight bravely until victory. The warriors know the dangers, but their hearts are lion dogs. The cruel enemy will not break us. As a result of the war, it was discovered that we are brotherly people.’
