Elmayekes’ parents moved to Jerusalem last week “as a way to ensure that the light of our son’s life will continue to shine despite his death.”
By World Israel News Staff
The parents of a young IDF soldier who was killed in battle in Gaza are honoring their son’s memory by moving to the Jewish State.
Benjamin Elmakeyes, 29, fell while fighting Hamas terrorists in early November, just three days before he was set to marry his fiancée.
Elmakeyes moved to Israel alone at the age of 15, finishing high school in the country. He served in an elite combat unit, and was called up to reserve duty following Hamas’ October 7th terror onslaught.
At the time of his death, Elmayekes’s parents, Lucien and Marlene, had come to Israel with the expectation of attending his wedding.
They managed to see their son while he was on leave from the army, shortly before he was killed.
“Just before we heard the news, I had the worst feeling that something terrible had happened. At 8 o’clock that evening the IDF representatives came to my sister’s home in Netanya. I heard her scream, and I immediately knew,” Marlene told the Jewish Chronicle.
After Elmakeyes was buried at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, his parents returned to France to sort out logistical matters.
“It was Binyamin’s dream that we would all live together here in Israel, so we knew that the right thing to do was to make that dream into a reality as soon as possible. We know that living in Israel will ensure that his memory stays with us in a very real way,” Lucien told the JC.
Elmayekes’ parents moved to Jerusalem last week “as a way to ensure that the light of our son’s life will continue to shine despite his death,” they said in a statement.
“He was Zionistic, a true patriot, who loved his homeland, unusually kind-hearted, always helping others, a man of kindness, smiling,” the brother of Elmayekes’ fiancée told Israel Hayom.
“Benjamin wasn’t afraid of anything — all of his life was just endless generosity.”