As Israel entered Remembrance Day, OneFamily brought more than 1,000 bereaved family members together in Jerusalem for its annual memorial ceremony – an alternative Remembrance Day gathering created to support bereaved families.
Unlike traditional national ceremonies, OneFamily’s annual event is designed first and foremost as a safe space for families themselves, a place where bereaved parents, siblings, spouses, children, and grandparents can speak openly and honestly about the people they have lost, the pain they live with every day, and the ways they continue to carry memory forward.
Held under the Jerusalem sky at the Haas Promenade, this year’s ceremony centered on a question that resonates with every bereaved family: What is your deepest wish? That idea shaped the evening’s theme, “Option B.”
In poignant, moving remarks, OneFamily co-founder and chairwoman Chantal Belzberg, recipient of the 2026 Israel Prize, said: “The first wish is always the same: that the door will open, that this is all just a nightmare, that their loved one will return. But when that wish cannot be fulfilled, a second wish must somehow be found: the strength to keep living, to remember, and to move forward without leaving their loved one behind.”
That second wish should not be seen as surrender, she explained, but as courage. It is, she said, “the strength to get up each morning with a heart heavy from grief, to keep going, and to allow life, love, and even healing to emerge from what has been shattered.
“Your first wish was not fulfilled,” she told the families, “but your second wish is our mission.”
Belzberg described OneFamily’s role as holding families’ hands as they climb out of the abyss, creating a home where it is possible to cry, remember, and, over time, learn to breathe, laugh, and believe again.
Speaking on the eve of receiving the Israel Prize, she said she would accept it not in her own name but as a messenger for the families themselves. The award, she said, belongs to their courage, their daily endurance, and their determination to go on living with love and memory.
Voices of the families
The ceremony was co-hosted by Laly Derai, mother of Sgt. First Class Saadia Yaakov Derai; and Liat Smadga, mother of Sgt. First Class Omer Smadga. The two soldiers fell in the same incident in Gaza on June 20, 2024.
“Fate bound us together forever,” they said. “Saadia and Omer fell together, on the same day, at the same time, in the same incident. And since then, we have become one family, connected by something deep and unbreakable through the memory of our sons.”
Among the speakers was Nadav Elkabetz, who spoke about his sister Sivan, murdered with her partner, Naor Hasidim, in their home in Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Our responsibility as families, as a society, is to tell the story, to bear witness, to hold on to the truth, even when it’s unbearable,” he said. “Because if we don’t tell it, someone else will.”
Milly Tsym, mother of St.-Sgt. Ariel Tsym, who fell in battle in Gaza at age 20, offered a personal portrait of a son full of light, humor, and dreams for the future.
“You taught me not to give up,” she said. “And I won’t give up. I am proud to tell your story. And I miss you endlessly.”
The evening also gave voice to families facing the compounded devastation of Oct. 7 and its aftermath, which included children orphaned of both parents.
“For Israel’s bereaved families, Remembrance Day isn’t just one day a year. They live this pain every single day,” Belzberg said. “Sadly, since Oct. 7, thousands of new families have joined us. We will continue to walk with them, remember with them, and choose life with them – together.”
Following the ceremony, many families remained at the Haas Promenade late into the night, singing, speaking, and sharing memories. That post-ceremony gathering has become a OneFamily tradition. The ceremony was live streamed with English subtitles, viewed by thousands worldwide, and is available online for viewing.