Uria Sarussi

Uria Sarussi, the son of Leah and Rafael, lived in Har Bracha and came from Kochav HaShahar. He was forty-eight when he died, married to Tehila and the father of eight surviving children. The Ministry of Defense's Izkor website commemorates him with the rank of sergeant major, affiliated with the Medical Corps. His life brought together family, work as an electronics engineer, Torah study and reserve service. In the farewells written by those who knew him, diligence, responsibility and modesty recur alongside devotion to his family and community.

His friend Yigal Lalum met him at the beginning of their studies at the Har Bracha yeshiva, some thirty years before his death. They studied Yisrael Kedoshim by Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin and Netivot Olam by the Maharal together. Lalum recalled the precision and thoroughness of Uria's study and his ability to remember insights from their shared learning even years later. Uria also persevered in learning the scribal craft of writing sacred texts, eventually writing a Scroll of Esther. In another recollection, his friend described a chance encounter near Horesh Yaron, where a conversation about reserve duty became a long discussion about raising and educating children.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed said that Uria set aside regular times for Torah study alongside his work and helped raise the children and maintain the home. He took part in preparing editions of Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen's books and compiling their indexes. According to the rabbi, he served as a combat medic, continued in the reserves in territorial defense and, during the war, joined combat engineering and took part in fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. He put his professional knowledge to work developing solutions and explaining how to operate equipment. Footage published after his death showed another side of his life: Uria playing the flute at a Memorial Day ceremony, in a video filmed by Yitzhak Melamed.

On 6 Nisan 5786, March 24, 2026, during a family outing in northern Israel and a short leave from reserve service, Uria entered the Jordan River in an attempt to save his son, who had become distressed in the water. He was swept away and drowned near Arik Bridge. The following day he was laid to rest at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery. At the funeral, his family, friends and members of his community said farewell, recalling his dedication to saving lives during his service and his place in their lives as a father and friend. May his memory be a blessing.