* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
“Shalom Sivan, A special Brit Milah ceremony took place yesterday.
An officer who dashed off on Simchat Torah to save his brothers and sisters in Kibbutz Nir Oz, arrived too late to save the Kedem family.
Now he decided to call his son by that family’s name.
Kedem Tzuri, this is the name given to the newborn boy. I cannot share the father’s full name because of his status in the IDF. In any case, what the father wrote is more than a personal story; it’s a testimony to the everlasting connection between souls.
Ishay Gretler — residing in Eli, Samaria".
Here are the father's words:
"On the 7th of October we broke into the houses in Kibbutz Nir Oz but to our sorrow were not able to rescue many of the residents.
The first house we entered was that of the Kedem-Siman Tov family.
Five pure souls had been blotted out, an entire family lost to our people.
But now with the birth and naming of my son, the 'open circuit' in my life has finally been closed.
Today we merited to bring a precious boy into the covenant of Avraham, the father of our nation.
And now Kedem (meaning east) Tzuri (meaning my rock or my God) will forever fix his gaze towards the light that illuminates the skies each morning from the east, perpetuating the Kedem family name.
Tzuri is my rock and the source of my strength.
Tzur is a rock chiseled from its supernal quarry and built into the fortress that protects our nation.”
