Remembering Raz Mizrachi, an IDF hero killed by Hamas in Re'im

By the time this is over, there will be no one in Israel and likely the Jewish nation as a whole, who will not have been touched by the death of someone they knew personally.I am no exception.

RAZ MIZRACHI was gravely wounded during an east Jerusalem terrorist ramming while serving in the Border Police during Operation Guardian of the Walls.

This heroic young woman overcame unthinkable physical and psychological barriers to not only function but thrive, becoming an officer.

I met her last November as part of the Belev Echad trip to New York City, which I joined as a Magazine reporter. Raz was one of the wounded soldiers who had come to get a break, to bask in love and support from her fellow soldiers and the local Jewish community, and to tell her story.

She did indeed bravely share her journey, bringing most to tears (while tearing up herself) as a speaker at the gala benefit.

In her words: “From a talented athlete who could run 10 miles without losing my breath, I needed to learn how to walk again. Ten steps with excruciating pain was an accomplishment.” Yet: “I am still here, I am still fighting, and I am still motivated – and I love my Israel more than ever!”

"An inspiration to us all” 

TRAGICALLY, SHE was cut down in her prime – ironically, not in her role as officer but in Kibbutz Re’im as a casualty of the Supernova music festival.

Raz was beautiful inside and out, the very definition of the word “brave,” and so special.

It’s a cliché, but a bright light has truly gone out of the world, and I feel incredibly privileged to have met her for a short time.

God has His ways, but my feeling is that, at the very least, Raz came to teach us all the power of resilience.

My heart goes out to her family, fellow soldiers, friends, and the Belev Echad community.

“Raz was an inspiration to us all,” affirmed Maj. Raz Budany, director of Belev Echad Center in Kiryat Ono. “She taught hundreds what it meant to live again, to feel joy and happiness again, to carry on despite any hardship, to give and prevail. We’ll miss you, dear Raz, and we’ll carry your legacy of hope and strength with us always.”

May we all do something to lift the spirits of others and ourselves, in memory of Raz.