Annual Sukkot Harvest Festival Honors Late Yamam Hero Noam Raz in Kida
The annual harvest festival in memory of the late Yamam combatant Noam Raz will be held during Sukkot in Kida, celebrating his dream of a living community space.
Preparations are underway at the olive grove planted by the late Master Sergeant Noam Raz in the West Bank community of Kida to host the annual harvest festival organized by the "Bedarkhei Noam" association. The event, scheduled for the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday, will be open to the general public.
Family Activities and Heritage
The festival will feature a wide range of family-friendly activities, including a climbing wall, zip line, laser tag, paintball, and rope bridge, alongside face painting, field cooking, and drum circles. A police display featuring mounted officers, K-9 units, drones, and a fire engine will also be presented on-site. This year, children's activities will incorporate the story of Raz's life through the children's book "Sodo shel Lohem" (A Warrior's Secret), which highlights his character and values. Concurrently, Torah classes and adult lectures will be held at the "Darkhei Noam" synagogue in the community.
A Legacy of Service and Memory
Noam Raz fell in battle at the age of 47 after serving for approximately 23 years in the Yamam counter-terrorism unit as a breaching combatant, sniper, and paramedic, following his combat service in the Golani reconnaissance platoon. Alongside his military service, he studied at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva and volunteered with Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah. He is survived by his wife, Efrat, and six children. Weeks before his death, he was awarded the Israel Police Commissioner's Citation for life-saving treatment under fire during a Jenin battle. He was killed on May 13, 2022, during an operational activity to apprehend wanted suspects in the village of Burqin.
The roots of the Kida event trace back to years before his death. After moving to the community over two decades ago, Raz began personally planting olive trees in the rocky soil. His family recalls that he dreamed of turning the location into a destination for families during the holidays. Five months after his passing, his widow Efrat decided to fulfill that vision, launching the first "Harvest Festival in Noam's Grove," which has since become an annual tradition. Additionally, the site now includes the "Tkuma Grove," dedicated to fallen Yamam fighters where bereaved families have planted trees in memory of their loved ones.
"The event remains the commemoration closest to Noam's personal dream: a living, active place where families gather and continue to work the land he began to cultivate."
Through the "Bedarkhei Noam" association, the family has expanded its activities year-round, offering agricultural volunteering weeks for youth, educational tourism, bar and bat mitzvah journeys, and workshops connected to the land and roots. Raz has also been commemorated across Israel through a central synagogue in Kida, a school in Lod, emergency vehicles, Torah scrolls, and memorial trails.
