Shin Bet chief orders removal of October 7 memorial corner, prompting backlash

Shin Bet Director David Zini ordered the removal of a memorial corner set up at the agency’s headquarters for Shin Bet personnel killed on October 7, according to a report published Wednesday. The display had been placed at the entrance to the Shin Bet compound in Tel Aviv and was dedicated to the service’s fallen since the Hamas attack.

Reporting in Haaretz, Josh Breiner said Zini argued that “you do not need to see the failure before your eyes every day.” People around Zini were quoted as saying the memorial corner reflected “defeatism.” A security source said the order to dismantle it was met with “shock” at headquarters.

In its response to Haaretz, the Shin Bet said the October 7 failure was “one of the greatest and most painful failures” in Israel’s history, but that displaying only some of the fallen “minimizes the failure” and reflects only part of the “terrible disaster” that struck. The agency added that its headquarters already has a memorial wall showing all of the fallen, not just a small portion.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision to dismantle the memorial corner a “moral failure.” He said Jewish tradition sees memory as strength, not weakness, quoted Rabbi Sacks on carrying the burden of remembrance without losing hope, and argued that remembrance is why Jews mark Tisha B’Av, stop everything on Yom HaShoah and Memorial Day. Lapid concluded by urging Zini to reconsider.