Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School, part of the Ohr Torah Stone education network, inaugurated a “Hall of Heroes” on Thursday to honor 25 alumni who fell in Israel’s wars and terror attacks.
The school said the permanent memorial, created with bereaved families, includes 11 alumni who fell in the past two years and is designed to place remembrance at the center of student learning.
The memorial is installed in the school’s refurbished library, intentionally placing commemoration next to routine study. It spans 35 years, from Lt. Oriel (Ori) Glick of the school’s first graduating class to Maj. Eitan Orbach, who fell in December 2025, the yeshiva said.
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, president and rosh yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, said the hall was created for students and the wider community. “We are obligated to preserve the memory of the fallen and to recognize that our lives, in Israel and throughout the Jewish world, are sustained by their sacrifice and by the sacrifice of their families,” he said.
What is Neveh Shmuel, and where is Efrat?
Neveh Shmuel is a modern Orthodox boys’ high school that combines general studies with intensive Jewish learning. It is located in Efrat, a town in the Gush Etzion bloc just south of Jerusalem, in Gush Etzion. The school is part of the Ohr Torah Stone network, which runs schools and leadership programs across Israel and the Jewish world.
Earlier in the day, parents visited classrooms to speak about their sons’ values and life paths, turning personal loss into lessons in courage and responsibility. During an intimate memorial program, families shared stories that framed the hall as a space for education as well as remembrance.
Among the speakers was Mina Marantz, a longtime teacher at the yeshiva and the mother of Sgt. Tzvi Marantz, who fell in combat in Gaza in October 2024. She recalled how stories of her son’s quiet generosity continued to surface after his death.
Linking past and present sacrifice
Neveh Shmuel’s rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Avishai Milner, said recent losses have revived the stories and courage of alumni who fell decades ago, including during the Lebanon War. Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hesder Otniel and father of Maj. Elchanan Kalmanson, who was killed while rescuing civilians at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, described remembrance as a tool to shape “the next generation.”
Each former student is commemorated with a portrait on a glass plaque and a QR code that links to a digital page families can enrich with stories, photos, and videos. The yeshiva stated that they worked closely with relatives over many months to curate the pages.
Principal Col. (res.) Chezi Zecharia said the project grew from “a sense of humility and mission” and was enabled by a community fundraising campaign with support from Ohr Torah Stone and partners.
The ceremony was attended by Efrat Mayor Dovi Shefler, Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal, representatives of the Education Ministry and the Settlement Administration, and senior Ohr Torah Stone leadership.
The program concluded inside the Hall of Heroes, returning to the space where memory and learning meet. “When students enter this space to learn, past, present, and future converge into a single continuum of responsibility, continuity, and hope,” Rabbi Brander said. “This hall stands as a moral compass and a source of inspiration.”