15/10/2023
On Thursday, I attended the the funeral of Juliana Farron ‘s son Itai ז״ל, murdered by Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel on their mission to commit genocide.
I’ve known Juliana, or as I have always known her “Juli” since we attended YMHA day camp way back in the early 80’s. The last time I saw her in Queens was in early 1997 when she told me of her plans to make Aliya (move to Israel). At the time I was an IDF soldier on leave visiting my parents in NYC.
Ten years would pass and it would be on Facebook that Juli and I would get in touch again. I made a visit to her kibbutz to catch up and meet her family. It was very nice to see how well she acclimated to life in Israel.
Like many of you seeing this post, I reached out to her when it was announced that Itai was missing, and again upon the announcement of his death.
Originally Itai’s funeral was meant to take place at 4pm on Thursday, but when I arrived on the kibbutz I saw an announcement on my phone that it had been postponed until 8pm. I felt a bit awkward showing up the house unannounced 4 hours before the funeral, but a kibbutz member insisted that it would be ok and directed me to the home. On the worst day of their lives Juli and her beautiful family greeted me with warm hospitality. Despite the difficult… actually horrific circumstances, we had a chance to catch up, but more importantly, they told me about Itai, the kind of kid he was, and the man he grew up to be. They showed me videos of Itai’s actions that were filmed as the terrorists attacked.
After a few hours it was time for the funeral which was held just a few minutes walk from the house. Those who spoke at the funeral, including members of Itai’s elite army unit, confirmed to me what I understood from the videos shown to me back at the house, that indeed Itai died as a hero. An unarmed Itai on leave from his unit chose to hold his ground, take command, grab a first aid kit, give cpr, and not let fear overtake his actions. This takes bravery, but also incredible presence of mind. This is what the IDF expects from it’s soldiers.
As an educator and guide my colleagues and I tell the stories of Israel’s fallen heroes, to give meaning to their sacrifice. This is the way way we keep their memory alive. Their spirits live on within us, their bravery inspires us to keep going, to keep building, to keep defending, so that we can continue to live as a free people, and that every Jew knows that he or she has a place on this earth. Itai ז״ל has joined the ranks of Israel’s fallen heroes. Please pray for Juli and her family.
