A Heartfelt Tribute: What a Grieving Mother Created for Babies Named After Her Son

On Simchat Torah of 5784, Lt. Col. Yehonatan Tzur Bernash went to fight terrorists who had infiltrated kibbutzim near the Gaza border. Near the Magen Junction, alongside the renowned Nahal Brigade commander Yehonatan Steinberg, they encountered terrorists and were killed in the ensuing gunfire.

Bernash was a father to Neta, Arbel, and Dagan, the husband of Reshit, and the son of artist Rivka Sapir. In the days following his death, Rivka turned to art as a means of expression, creating stirring works to honor her son’s memory. She made, for example, a beautiful Torah cover donated in his memory, embroidering it with the words: "I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, and not turn back until they are destroyed."

Currently, she is launching a unique project in which she embroiders a special hoop for each of the babies named after Yehonatan, with his name inscribed on it. It turns out there are no fewer than ten such babies, all sons of Yehonatan's close friends.

The hoops

Yehonatan and his mother, artist Rivka Sapir

Embroidery on the Torah scroll in memory of Yehonatan

A Small Keepsake from a Great Man

Now, a year and a half after Yehonatan's passing, Rivka shared a touching and chilling post about the unique initiative:

"For over 500 days you have not been here...

A year has passed, birthdays, memorial days, joys and mournings...

Darkness and light intermingle, days when I find no reason to get out of bed, and just want to stay and cry for you, alongside days filled with light, joy, and life.

And within this year, you have sent me points of light and comfort... Your good friends chose to immortalize your name in their young children's names, and each one sends me a sunbeam directly from you that warms me... "Or Yehonatan", "Yehonatan Meir", "Oze Yehonatan", "Uri Yehonatan" and more...

I thought of how I could embrace them back and remembered how much you loved my embroidery work, how you would be excited like a little child with every new creation of mine... and I thought, maybe I will make (maybe actually we will?) a small keepsake for each of the beloved children named after you from the great man (and also the little boy of mom) you were...

Missing you endlessly,

Mom".