On this day, we commemorate the 22,993 fallen Israeli soldiers, and thousands of Israeli Terror victims, who lost their lives for the sake of the State of Israel.

I took upon myself to free-translate a poem, written by Giora Fischer, who lost his son Merom (Moses) during a military operation in Jenin in 2002.

The hebrew version:

תְּפִילָה/ גיורא פישר

מִי יִתֵּן
וְאֶהְיֶה כְּבָר זָקֵן
מְבֻלְבָּל.
אִם אָז אֶשְׁאַל:
לָמָּה הוּא לאֺ בָּא לְבַקֵּר?
אַל תּאֺמְרוּ:
אֲבָל, הוּא נָפַל
לִפְנֵי הֲמוֹן זְמַן.
אִמְרוּ:
הוּא הָיָה פֺּה אֶתְמוֹל
וְאָמַר שֶׁיָּבוֹא גַּם מָחָר.

The english version (free translation):

Prayer/Giora Fischer

If only
I am already old,
confused.

If then I asked:
Why didn’t he come to visit?

Don’t say:
But, he has fallen
long ago.

Say:
He was here yesterday,
and said he would come tomorrow again