As Israel marked three years since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, students throughout the AMIT network of schools found ways to honor those who were killed that day and in the war that followed, preserving their memory and offering support to their families.
At Yeshivat AMIT Amichai in Rehovot, students and teachers dedicated the week to strengthening Torah learning and acts of kindness in memory of those who lost their lives.
Students worked on presentations about fallen soldiers and assembled gift packages for bereaved families in the community. They then visited the families, bringing their gifts and spending time listening to their stories.
One group of students sat with the family of Capt. Yarin Gahali, a platoon commander in Sayeret Givati, the Givati Brigade's reconnaissance unit, who was killed in battle in southern Gaza.
"You could feel the mix of joy that we had come and sadness in remembering her son," said Eliya Atiya and Raphael Sasson, two students who participated. "The visit reminded us how the story of the whole nation and the story of one family are tied together."
At Yeshivat AMIT Yagel in Ashdod, students created an exhibit honoring members of their yeshiva who were killed on Oct. 7.
Among those remembered was Eli ("Eliku") Ozen, a chef who ran a restaurant in Ashdod. On Oct. 7, Ozen was fishing at Zikim Beach when terrorists attacked. He was murdered alongside his father, Arie Ozen. According to witnesses, Eli Ozen used his own body to shield his father and others who had taken refuge in a roadside shelter.
Throughout the week, teachers brought their classes to view the exhibit, allowing students to learn about the lives and courage of people connected to their own community.
"As I read the stories of those who were killed, I thought about how much we can learn from them: courage, giving, friendship, leadership, responsibility and love of the land," said Evyatar Zanati, a student. "It's so important to remember them and the good they did."
Students at AMIT Tiferet Gur Arye Pre-Military Technology Junior College in Rehovot traveled north to Kiryat Shmona to show solidarity with the city, whose residents experienced widespread displacement during the war.
The students spent the day volunteering in schools, kindergartens and community centers, helping wherever they were needed.
Kiryat Shmona mayor Avichai Stern thanked the students for coming to support the city's residents, noting that their initiative demonstrated both love of the land and concern for their fellow Jews.
The group concluded the day at the memorial in She'ar Yashuv honoring the 73 soldiers killed in the 1997 helicopter disaster there. The students, who are preparing to serve in the Israeli Air Force, sat together at the memorial and discussed what it means to serve and the weight of the duties they will soon undertake.
Three years after Oct. 7, families and communities throughout Israel are still living with the aftermath of the attacks and the war that followed. With this in mind, AMIT schools gave students opportunities to honor those who were lost while helping others and strengthening their connection to their country.
"It is our duty to turn the memory of those lost into responsibility and action," said Rabbi Tzuri Levi, head of the pre-military academy. "The best way forward is giving back, standing by one another and striving to be the best we can be."