Susan R. Eisenstein – Let The World Know: A Series Honoring Israel’s Fallen And Wounded Heroes: Yehonathan Einhorn
So for this year, Yom Hazikaron has passed. But it has not, not really. And it never really will ever pass, not any day of any year. The precious lights and souls that our nation has lost all too early due to senseless, baseless hatred, centuries of false narratives, historically incorrect and rewritten narratives, and death-informed ideology need to be remembered and honored worldwide, ALWAYS, by all persons. Their stories show the waste, horror, and the cost of evil. And their stories need to remind the world of a nation’s people who are killed and murdered and live under threat every day, simply for being HUMAN and defending their country, simply for wanting to live in peace, be allowed to grow up, have dreams, a profession, a life like everyone else, and bring goodness and kindness to the world. They were mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and friends. And the positive gifts that they would have brought to the world will now never be known.
May their memories be a blessing.
Statistics can be meaningful if used correctly. Unfortunately, our nation has too many meaningful sad statistics, statistics of our fallen and wounded. However, behind every statistic there is a story, a story that lives and breathes and is not sterile. And that is why I continue to tell the stories of our incredibly brave IDF heroes, to keep their memories as HUMANS alive.
This current piece honors Yehonathan Einhorn, born in 1984, the beloved firstborn son of David and Revital. The family lived in the Shomron at the time of Yehonathan and his brother Evyata’s birth. The family later settled in Moshav Gimzo. Three more sons were born into the family after Yehonathan and Yehonathan’s family also adopted a son and a daughter.To all his siblings, Yehonathan was a devoted older brother, until the day that he fell in battle.
Yehonathan’s father, David Einhorn describes his son as “a mischievous and deeply curious child. He was always smiling, full of life, with a captivating, radiant smile.” And although Yehonathan did not enjoy being in school, spending most of his time on the basketball court, he still achieved exceptionally high grades.”Yehonathan believed in focused, one-time effort rather than wasting time sitting in a classroom,” said his father.
Continuing, Mr. Einhorn said “Yehonathan was a very sociable child full of joy for life. He was highly skilled in everything that interested him, including combat and weapons operation. When he was required to learn Arabic, he did so within a month and was able to conduct conversations in Arabic for the needs of his role. Yehonathan also knew how to properly observe the commandments in any situation and at any time, even under combat conditions, and certainly during times of calm. He chose to study at the pre-military academy “Etzem” so that he could להתמודד with questions of faith and the commandments of faith. He was always content with what he had and was.
As Yehonathan grew older, traveling across Ha Eretz became important to him. At the age of 14, Yehonathan began exploring every trail, stream, and mountain. His father David said, “He took on hiking routes typically meant for strong, experienced adults. He had the strength and endurance to reach every corner of the country and he continued this way until he enlisted in the Paratroopers.”
“At the same time,” David continued, “Yehonathan always maintained strong friendships. This became especially clear after he fell in battle, when it was revealed how many friends he had—from every part of Israeli society. Yehonathan observed religious commandments even though he wore his hair long. Among his belongings, a page of halachot was found—guidelines he had written on how one could continue to observe mitzvot, even as a combat soldier.”
“Yehonathan enlisted with a deep sense of purpose and was proud to serve in the Paratroopers. There he completed a long and demanding training period, eventually earning his place in Battalion 101 as the lead navigator—a role carrying immense responsibility,” Einhorn told Israel Seen. “This responsibility came into full expression during the Second Lebanon War, when he guided his fellow soldiers safely through their missions with courage and determination.”
“His exceptional professionalism in navigation and combat doctrine earned him the respect and admiration of his commanders and even more so of his comrades. They valued not only his skill and reliability, but also his genuine warmth, honesty, and true friendship, which left a lasting impression on all who served alongside him.”
“After 21 days of fighting in Lebanon, during which Yehonathan led the soldiers through various locations according to their missions, they arrived at a village called Ayta ash-Shaab—a place with a very large concentration of Hezbollah militants who had been launching rockets and shells toward communities in the central Galilee. Their mission, together with another Paratroopers battalion, was to capture the area and neutralize the militants. As soon as they reached the village and entered the houses, an intense close-quarters battle broke out against the militants, with fighting moving from window to window. At a certain point, Yehonathan sent the soldier who was with him to assist others in another room, while he continued fighting on his own. A missile was fired at him, exploding inside the room where he was and Yehonathan was killed.”
Asked what he sees as his son’s legacy and what lessons his son gave to the world, Mr. Einhorn says, “In his behavior and in the way he managed his short life, Yehonathan left us many insights, each of which could itself become a way of life.”
“Be content with what you have and above all, rejoice in what you have. Always have joy in life. We love happy people, not sad ones. And so, look at the good in things and not at the negative. Learn every matter in depth and in a professional manner and thereby master the things you do. Do not be superficial but deep and understanding. Live with pure faith and fulfill the commandments, even when it is very difficult and show that it is possible. The fifth and most important insight for people of his age is unreserved friendship with everyone and speaking with everyone at “eye level.”
“With Yehonathan, it is always worth saying: it does not matter how many years you lived on earth, what matters is how many lives you had in those years during which you were on this earth. With Yehonathan, every day was a day of full, complete life.”
