Captivity Survivor Eli Sharabi to Host October 7 Families Memorial Ceremony
Host and captivity survivor Eli Sharabi prepares for the October 7 families ceremony, calling for unity and emphasizing that his personal grief is a daily reality.
Eli Sharabi, a survivor of captivity, is preparing to host the October 7 Families Ceremony marking the anniversary of the disaster. Earlier today, he participated in the memorial ceremony at Kibbutz Be'eri, where he visited the grave of his brother Yossi. From there, he continued to the cemetery where his wife Lian and two daughters, Yahel and Noya, are buried. Sharabi noted that coping with this day becomes increasingly difficult and complex year after year.
Ahead of the central ceremony, which is expected to be attended by some fifty thousand people, Sharabi told i24NEWS in an interview that the broad support from the public and the media is "heartwarming." He issued a call for public unity: "I called on people to put disagreements aside. Memory has nothing to do with politics or political opinion, and I think the ceremony will be proof of that."
Sharabi made it clear that the pain for him is not limited to an official date. "I talk to them all the time," he said. "Bereaved parents, anyone going through bereavement and certainly such a huge tragedy, do not need any official memorial day. For us it happens every day, everywhere and in every situation. The loss of the family is very great and we remember them all the time, that is how we strengthen each other."
