Since the brutal terrorist attack on October 7, Chesed Chaim Ve'Emet, an organization that regularly supports mourners throughout the country, has accompanied more than 700 families of civilians, including entire communities, during the mourning period. One of the organization's first actions was erecting mourning tents for families from Kfar Aza who had moved to Kibbutz Shefayim. Additionally, dozens of the organization's activists met with hundreds of families in their homes. They took part in the shiva and sheloshim mourning observances, helping the families through this difficult time. To date, 848 civilians and 362 IDF soldiers, victims of the massacre, have been identified and buried. There are several dozen more dead who have not yet been identified.
Dror David Amos founded the organization "Chesed Chaim Ve'Emet" while serving as a career officer in the IDF, from which he was recently discharged after 25 years. "What influenced me in establishing the organization was the IDF system that envelops the families of fallen IDF soldiers and accompanies them. This is my vision, and in recent years, we have deployed a national network that accompanies 8,000 families a year."
When the attack broke out, the organization received support from Unity in Action, known in Hebrew as Achim La-Oref, an initiative that promotes the integration of Haredim into social action in Israel. Due to their support, the organization tripled the number of activists and established two operation centers, where details regarding the dead and funeral times from all over the country were provided. The organization connected with families and communities and helped them get through this period, not only by providing support regarding mourning customs, but also providing logistical and emotional assistance.
As part of the numerous home visits Dror and the organization's activists made throughout the country, many families asked them to locate someone to recite the Kaddish prayer in memory of their loved ones who were murdered during the year of mourning: "The requests came from every direction, and we see it as a great mitzvah and mission to respond to this."
The organization says that to date, 375 people have taken upon themselves the obligation to say Kaddish for a murdered person. They are appealing to the public to adopt the 835 civilians and soldiers who have not yet found anyone to say Kaddish in their memory. "Whoever does this will learn the life story of the murdered person and carry with him the story of the person's life and death."
Ortal Blich, widow of Police Superintendent Vadim Blich, who was murdered during fierce fighting in Be'eri: "A representative of Chesed Chaim Ve'Emet came to my home during our difficult moments. When I saw the young man, who came especially to offer comfort and help, I understood that even though the house was full of police officers and the Ministry of Defense helps with everything needed during the mourning period, my wish that Kaddish be recited for my husband could only be expressed to that person. "My children are still small," I told him, "I ask you to make sure they say Kaddish for their father." He promised to take care of it, and indeed, I was contacted by the organization "Chesed Chaim Ve'Emet" that sent him, who inquired about his full name and the name of my husband's parents and promised that there would be someone to say Kaddish for him every day throughout the year. The very fact that my husband will be commemorated and that his heroic story will live on among the general public is a personal and human act that gives us comfort during these difficult times."
"Kaddish is a way of perpetuating memory over time. It helps us fight forgetfulness. A person who recites Kaddish every day, in addition to the good deeds he will do for the murdered for a year, will remember the murdered not only this year but throughout his life," said Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, head of the Nehora Institute, among the initiators of Unity in Action.
The organization invites citizens to participate in this initiative, the largest commemorative project of the war, and express true kindness to the murdered and their families. For more information, visit https://holy.hhe.org.il, write to kadish.lechol.kadosh@gmail.com or send a WhatsApp message to 055-2457730.