On this day, we commemorate the 22,993 fallen Israeli soldiers, and thousands of Israeli Terror victims, who lost their lives for the sake of the State of Israel.
I took upon myself to free-translate a poem, written by Giora Fischer, who lost his son Merom (Moses) during a military operation in Jenin in 2002.
The Hebrew version:
תְּפִילָה/ גיורא פישר
מִי יִתֵּן
וְאֶהְיֶה כְּבָר זָקֵן
.מְבֻלְבָּל
:אִם אָז אֶשְׁאַל
?לָמָּה הוּא לאֺ בָּא לְבַקֵּר
:אַל תּאֺמְרוּ
אֲבָל, הוּא נָפַל
.לִפְנֵי הֲמוֹן זְמַן
:אִמְרוּ
הוּא הָיָה פֺּה אֶתְמוֹל
.וְאָמַר שֶׁיָּבוֹא גַּם מָחָר
The English version (free translation):
Prayer/Giora Fischer
If only
I am already old,
confused.
If then I asked:
Why didn’t he come to visit?
Don’t say:
But, he has fallen
long ago.
Say:
He was here yesterday,
and said he would come tomorrow again
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