Newspaper Headline

YNET Publishes Article by Ono Ethiopian Scholar on Painful Issue Emerging from October 7

YNET, the website of Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Achronot , published the article, “To grow hope from loss: Why Israel must let fallen soldiers’ legacy live on” by Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, founder and director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono Academic College. 

In the article, Rabbi Dr. Shalom contends that when Israeli soldiers fall in battle, there is a profound ethical, legal and religious question about how their legacy should be honoured and continued. In particular, he focuses on the question of posthumous sperm retrieval and reproduction: that giving life in the name of a fallen soldier can be a “sacred act of continuity” for bereaved families and for the nation.

This is an issue he actively and sadly, frequently, wrestles with, as a Major in the IDF, serving as lead officer on casualty counseling teams working with families who have lost a child in combat.

Rabbi Dr. Shalom believes that posthumous reproduction is not only a legal or moral issue, but a sacred act of continuity, a way for bereaved families to transform unbearable loss into new life, faith and the eternity of Israel

The original article in English can be read here: https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/skh00zv01bg