Fallen Soldier's Sister Starts School Where He Studied

Nesiah Habshush began first grade at the "Ahvat Torah" school in Givat Adam, the same elementary school her older brother, Sergeant Major Noam Habshush, attended before his death. Noam, 20, a tank commander in the 401st Brigade, was killed in combat in southern Lebanon approximately two and a half months prior to Nesiah's first day of school. His mother, Einav, who manages special education for the Benjamin Regional Council, shared a poignant message to her fallen son on social media.

Einav described the bittersweet emotions of Nesiah's first day, a milestone she had long imagined but which is now overshadowed by grief. "Today your little sister Nesiah is going to first grade. How many times I imagined this moment," she wrote, contrasting her past dreams of family photos at the school gate with the current reality. "And today, your little sister is entering the gates of the elementary school where you studied... I look at her and think of you," she added, expressing the pain of his absence and the life he will never live.

Despite her own struggles, including a difficult pregnancy at 46, Einav is focused on making Nesiah's start to school a happy one. She strives to shield her daughter from her own tears, wanting Nesiah to remember the day as a beautiful beginning. However, she admitted, "There are days when the longing is simply too much for me." The family makes a conscious effort to keep Noam present in Nesiah's life, speaking of him regularly to ensure she knows who he was and how much he was loved.

Einav pleaded with her late son to watch over Nesiah, asking him to "stand beside her" as she enters school, "enter with her, even if I cannot see you." She requested he "guard her sensitive soul, help her with the challenges, send her strength, confidence, and self-belief," and remind her she is never alone. She concluded by asking him to "watch over her from above, my child. And watch over Mom a little too. I miss you every minute anew."

Yisrael Gantz, head of the Benjamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, acknowledged the Habshush family and 63 other families in the region who lost loved ones in the war. He emphasized the importance of continuing to support bereaved families as life returns to a semblance of routine. Gantz noted the special significance of Nesiah attending the same school as Noam, calling it "a picture of life continuing and of a people that cannot be broken."