Remembering the Fallen by Choosing Life: Five Stories of Commemoration

Across Israel, families touched by terror and war are finding deeply life-affirming ways to remember their fallen loved ones – transforming grief into acts of unity, generosity, and continuity. From naming newborn children to donating organs, these stories reflect a shared determination that memory not be passive, and loss not have the final word.

One such story comes from the family of Staff Sergeant Aner Shapira, a Nahal Brigade commando whose heroism during Hamas’s October 7 attack at the Nova music festival saved multiple lives. Trapped with 24 civilians inside what later became known as the “death shelter,” Shapira stood alone at the entrance, calming those inside and repeatedly throwing back grenades hurled by terrorists—until the final explosion took his life.

In recent days, his family issued a moving public call. Touched by the growing number of parents who named their children – both sons and daughters  – after Aner since the war, they invited those families to reach out and take part in a future gathering. “This is about connection, remembrance, and telling a story,” they wrote. “A story of courage, love, and life.”

Aner, they say, was not only a warrior but a musician, artist, and philosopher –  a young hero whose spirit continues to echo through the children who now bear his name.

That same impulse – to carry memory forward – was expressed by Israeli journalist and social activist Sarah Hatzni-Cohen, who shared the story behind the name of her newborn daughter, Eden Rachel. The name Eden honors three young Israeli women – Captain Eden Nimri, Staff Sergeant Eden Alon Levy, and Eden Yerushalmi – all of whom fell in the war, “sanctifying God’s name,” as she wrote.

Quoting the prophet Isaiah—“He will make her wilderness like Eden”—Cohen described the name as both a remembrance and a prayer: that from devastation would come renewal, comfort, and hope. The name Rachel was chosen to honor two beloved grandmothers whose lives were rooted in their love for Jerusalem, family, and faith.

In an act of extraordinary generosity, the family of Asael Babad, a soldier who succumbed to his injuries after months of struggle against critical wounds he sustained in Gaza, chose to donate his organs – saving the lives of others even after his death. Babad, a husband and father of five, was remembered by community leaders as a man of deep faith, determination, and responsibility, who fought not only on the battlefield but also for his recovery and return to his family.

“His memory and devotion will walk with us,” said regional council head Israel Ganz. “They strengthen our commitment to stand together, in unity and faith, against every challenge facing the people of Israel.”

Community remembrance also took shape in the northern city of Acre, where a five-a-side soccer tournament was held in memory of Elior Price, murdered in the 2012 Burgas terror attack in Bulgaria. The tournament took place in the very school where he once studied, bringing together students, professional players, family members, and city leaders. The ceremony opened with the affixing of a mezuzah [traditional Jewish doorpost containing holy scrolls] to the sports hall by Elior’s parents, Edna and Kobi Price, together with the Chief Rabbi of Acre.

“Choosing sports as a form of remembrance is no coincidence,” said Mayor Amichai Ben-Shlush. “It reflects perseverance, teamwork, fairness, and respect – values Elior embodied. From pain grows continuity .”

Finally, in a particularly heart wrenching moment, the family of baby Kfir Bibas, brutally murdered in Hamas captivity, chose to promote kindness on what should have been his birthday. Visiting the Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital in Tel Aviv, they distributed toys to young patients as part of the “Bibas Project,” turning a day of sorrow into one of imparting joy. For the children hospitalized in the wards, the toys they received in honor of Kfir’s birthday were a reminder they had not been forgotten. On the day Kfir Bibas was meant to blow out the candles on his cake, his family instead lit dozens of smiles and hearts—choosing joy and life in his memory.

“In a place of loss, we chose giving,” the family said. “Even in grief, there is room for light.”

Together, these stories form a mosaic of Israeli resilience – families refusing to let memory fade, insisting instead that it become a source of life, connection, and hope. In naming children, saving strangers, gathering communities, and comforting the vulnerable, they proclaim a quiet but powerful truth: the fallen are remembered not only in tears, but in the lives that continue because of them.