Former hostage Eli Sharabi will host the Oct. 7 ceremony: “We will never forget what happened”
The "Kumu" movement and the families of Oct. 7th have published the names of the hosts for the national memorial ceremony marking three years since the massacre, which will take place in Yarkon Park
The "Kumu" movement and the October 7th families announced Sunday that hostage survivor Eli Sharabi and actress Shani Cohen will host the national memorial ceremony of the October 7th families, expected to take place in Yarkon Park. As in the previous two years, the ceremony will be broadcast on Israel's major media channels, on foreign broadcasting networks, and at community screenings worldwide.
This will be the third year that the national memorial ceremony for the families of October 7th will be held.
It is the families’ main event commemorating the day of the disaster in Israel and around the world. The ceremony is designed with great sensitivity by the affected families and communities and funded by the public. The Oct. 7 families stressed that this year they remain committed to holding an official, unifying and inclusive national ceremony that gives a voice and representation to every segment of the population and every community affected by the disaster.
They called on the public to support the crowdfunding campaign and contribute until it reaches its goal, allowing the ceremony to be held in an open-park format attended by tens of thousands of Israelis.
The ceremony host, Eli Sharabi, said: "I am very excited to host this year’s national memorial ceremony for the families of October 7th. I am fulfilling what I promised my wife Lian, my daughters Noya and Yahel, and my brother Yossi, of blessed memory – that they and what happened to them, and to us, will never be forgotten. October 7th must remain engraved in our hearts as an unbreakable date, forever. It must not be blurred, and time must not cause us to forget. This terrible day must not pass without a central, meaningful national ceremony."
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"The pain still touches us everywhere, and I know this will be an emotional and difficult occasion. But I will stand there with all the strength and love I receive from you, in order to honor the murdered and the fallen, the bereaved families, and the entire people of Israel," Sharabi emphasized.
The ceremony host, Shani Cohen, added: "October 7th is a significant event in all of our lives. I have accompanied many families and individuals through the pain of their loss since then and until today, and I am proud to host the ceremony alongside someone who chose life despite everything he went through. It moves me deeply—the strength we have to overcome, despite the terrible difficulty, and to support others along the way."
Omri Shifroni, who lost four members of his family in the Be’eri massacre and is one of the organizers of the national memorial ceremony, summarized: "The national memorial ceremony expresses the deep pain of all of us and the shared responsibility and hope for the State of Israel. I am very moved by the hosts who were chosen to lead the ceremony—Eli Sharabi, whom I knew from the paths and sidewalks of Be’eri, chose life after the worst imaginable, and the talented Shani Cohen, who for me is a symbol of Israeli-ness. I do not doubt that they are the most suitable to lead the ceremony that will tell the story of us, the families, and of all Israeli society."