Rabbi Baruch Wieder Breaks Down in Tears After Friend's Remains Found 44 Years Later

Rabbi Baruch Wieder was overcome with emotion upon receiving news that the remains of his friend and fellow soldier Yehuda Katz, missing since the Battle of Sultan Yaakov, were located after 44 years. Wieder, who fought in the same fierce battle in Lebanon as part of the Hesder Yeshiva Battalion, described how he prayed daily for Katz's return, alive or deceased, to bring closure to decades of uncertainty.

The Battle of Sultan Yaakov took place on the 20th of Sivan, 5742 (1982), when around 30 tanks entered Lebanon's valley. Only eight tanks, including Wieder's, survived the intense fighting. Katz, a gunner on an M48 tank, was killed when a missile penetrated his tank. Wieder recalled Katz as an exceptional young man from Ramat Gan, a brilliant Torah scholar and dedicated soldier who carried both his weapon and tefillin in the cramped tank.

Wieder emphasized the deep connection between Torah study and military service embodied by Katz and highlighted the significance of the state's persistent efforts over more than four decades to recover Katz's remains. He called this a profound sanctification of God's name and a testament to Israel's commitment to its soldiers. Wieder expressed gratitude and sorrow, noting how the return of one soldier's remains unites the entire nation in mourning and remembrance.