Now that the rest of the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin of blessed memory have finally returned home and been put to eternal rest in the land he loved and fought for, it is important to remember that Hadar already had a burial place in Israel, as part of his remains had already been given the respect this hero of Israel so richly deserved at his first funeral 11 years ago. As with Capt. Daniel Perez z’l, who also had two funerals, so the Goldin family commemorated the bittersweet second funeral of their beloved Hadar this week.
The fact that there had been enough “proof of death” to identify Hadar back in 2014 was due to the heroic actions of Capt. Eitan Fund, deputy commander of the reconnaissance company during Operation Protective Edge, who served in the same Givati Brigade as I did.
'The true definition of a hero'
A few years ago, during a visit to Australia as a guest of the ZFA, I introduced Eitan to the students and staff of Moriah College in Sydney. In my introduction to his presentation, I told the assembled audience of hundreds that Capt. Eitan was the true definition of a hero, someone who acts selflessly during a moment of truth, which defines who they are. Eitan spoke movingly and modestly to an enthralled audience about the events of two years ago, which resulted in him receiving the IDF “Medal of Courage.
"If I'm not back in five minutes, I’m dead.”
With these words, then-Lt. Eitan Fund, 23, of the elite Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance company, rushed into a Hamas terror tunnel to try and save a kidnapped comrade, Lt. Hadar Goldin, during Operation Protective Edge. Although he did not locate him, he was able to recover enough of the dead soldier’s remains for the IDF to pronounce him dead, giving closure to his parents.
The IDF is very selective with awarding medals, yet no one was surprised when Lt. Eitan received the Ot Mophet (“Medal of Courage”), the state’s second-highest military honor. The Medal of Courage is granted for “an act of gallantry during combat duty at the risk of one’s life.” Watching the modesty and bashfulness of Lt. Eitan during his acceptance speech, which he delivered with tears in his eyes, was a reminder of the kind of values he was raised with and lived by. Lt. Eitan felt a strong desire to complete his mission, and the outcome of that mission was derived from certain values: love of the land and the people, and contributing to our country. As he so clearly stated during the award ceremony:
“In a developed society, medals should not be awarded after a war, but rather for developing the land… But, if necessary, we would do it a second and third time, with our heads held high.”
It is heart-warming in these times to meet these special, selfless, and proud Jewish young men and women, like Capt. Eitan, who come to give and not to take, and who represent all that is good about the miraculous times we live in.
After almost two stateless millennia, we live in a fortunate era where we oversee our own destiny in our own land, and we have good people to show us the way. As Eitan mentioned in his medal acceptance speech:
“Who would have thought 70 years ago that my grandfather, who is here tonight, who lost almost his entire family in the death camps, would get to this moment where his grandson would receive an award that symbolizes the eternity and strength of our state. Who would have dreamed?”
Capt. Eitan reminded us that the State of Israel and Jews throughout the world need to continue to do whatever we can to ensure the return of the remaining four hostages, now that the rest of the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, held by the Hamas terrorists in Gaza for over 11 years, have finally come home and there is peace and closure for his family.
We live in a fortunate generation where Jews can once again defend their land and people and oversee their own destiny thanks to the brave soldiers of the IDF who give some of the best years of their lives to make the world a better and safer place for all Jews.
The writer, a veteran of the Givati Brigade, recently served during the war in Gaza as a combat medic. His book Heroes of Palmar, How My IDF Unit Revolutionized Combat Medicine in Gaza (Gefen Publishing House) will be published soon.