First yahrzeit marked for ‘Beautiful Six’ murdered by Hamas
Families call for acts of kindness to honour Hersh, Ori, Almog, Alex, Carmel, and Eden’s memory
The first yahrzeit of the Beautiful Six – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Eden Yerushalmi – is being marked today, a year after they were murdered in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.
Abducted from Israel on 7 October 2023, they were held in captivity for 11 months before being executed in August 2024. Their deaths, confirmed by the IDF, devastated families and sparked international mourning.
Commemorations are taking place in Israel and around the world. On Instagram, the Bring Hersh Home campaign urged people to dedicate the 24 hours between sundown on 18 and 19 August to “do something big or small, quiet or loud, private or public” to help “make our complicated world a bit better.”
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, became a symbol of resilience through the global campaign that bore his name. Ori Danino, 25, was remembered as a hero who rescued others at the Nova festival before being taken hostage; his family is dedicating a Torah scroll in his memory this week. Carmel Gat, 40, was a physiotherapist devoted to her patients and loved ones. Almog Sarusi, 27, Alexander Lobanov, 33, and Eden Yerushalmi, 24, are being remembered alongside them, their families continuing to honour their lives and legacies.
Israel’s Embassy in London wrote: “Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones today.”
Relatives and campaigners are asking people to mark the day with acts of kindness in the six hostages’ memory, saying: “May their memory be a blessing – and a revolution for goodness.”
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