OU Community Engagement is calling on synagogues to publicly remember Lieutenant Hadar Goldin this Shabbat Nachamu in order to keep his memory alive and to build awareness of the urgency of the efforts to return him and Oron Shaul to Israel.
Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, part of the Givati brigade was shot and killed in August 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, in an attempted kidnapping. His body was taken by Hamas as a bargaining chip, along with the remains of Oron Shaul, another IDF soldier killed in the war. Their families are raising awareness of the issue and requesting that the bodies be sent home so that they can be given a proper burial.
OU Community Engagement is encouraging synagogues to participate in the event so that the Jewish community and the world at large might understand the importance of the bodies’ retrieval and return to their families, and the importance of remembering those who have sacrificed themselves for the safety of Israel and for the safety of the Jewish world.
Y’hi Zichro Baruch. We pray that Hadar and Oron’s bodies will be speedily returned to their families for burial in Israel.
Promotional Material:
• Summary of Hadar’s tragic story and description of what his family and the Hadar Goldin Foundation are attempting to achieve.
• D’var Torah by Hadar’s father, Professor Simha Goldin,
• Av HaRachamim prayer in Hebrew and English written specifically to address the return of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
• Hadar’s favorite prayer in Hebrew and English, written by Rebbe Elimelech of Lezhensk, entitled Adaraba.
• Additional Jewish sources related to the issues underlying the efforts to repatriate Hadar to Israel for proper burial.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.