Among the many fallen whose memory is honored this week, the image of Jonathan Boyden comes to mind. Jonathan, may his memory be blessed, immigrated with his parents from Britain as a young boy. I first met him when he came to me for an interview at the Crow Company of the paratroopers. When he spoke of his desire to be a fighter and defend the country to which he had immigrated, I saw a spark in his eyes. I received him with great warmth and knew that he would be an excellent fighter and a good comrade in arms. Jonathan was seriously wounded in battle at Jebel Sujood in the northern security zone in Lebanon, and died of his wounds a few days later. He loved life, and was willing to risk it for the country.
Our independence is shaped in this place, where the choice of life meets the willingness to sacrifice for the defense of the country.
I witness up close, and time and again, how much Jonathan's dear family is hurting over his fall. Many families in Israel are hurting like them, because bereavement has no address; it can knock on the door of any family whose sons and daughters are serving in the army.
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Memorial Day establishes a deep connection between the personal and the national. This year, precisely in the shadow of tensions, we must focus ourselves on personal memory and embrace its human power. The commandment of remembrance requires us to unite around it and focus on what connects us. We must all respect cemeteries and not turn them into an arena of debate. There is deafening power in restraint and silence, and communion with our fallen loved ones cannot exist under the noise of debate.
Thirty years have passed since Jonathan fell for the country he loved. The price he and many others paid with their lives, and the price their families paid in their deaths, obligate us to be worthy of it.
At the moment of communion, each of us carries with us the image of a fallen person. During the ceremonies, we must reduce ourselves to the pain of her loss and hold on to her as a shield from all other noise. Only to remember, to grieve, and to honor.
Even for a moment.
Even for one sacred day.
Chief of General Staff
Colonel Herzi Halevi
