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14 Israeli Heroes to Light Independence Day Torches

(Jerusalem Post) Greer Fay Cashman - The Ministerial Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols selected 14 civilians and military personnel whose courage will be reflected in the torches they light on Mount Herzl to usher in Israel's 68th Independence Day on Wednesday evening. Rona Ramon is the widow of astronaut Ilan Ramon, killed with the rest of the crew when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentering Earth in 2003. Six years later her eldest son, Asaf, was killed in a plane crash during a training exercise. In their memories, Ramon created the Ramon Foundation, which encourages space, science and technology education, excellence in scholarship, leadership development and community responsibility. Hallel Bareli, a junior high school student in Sderot, volunteered to help local kindergarteners during the rocket bombardment from Gaza in 2014, and assisted elderly people to find shelters. Gabi Barsheshet is active in Friends of United Hatzalah, one of Israel's rescue organizations. He coordinated Israeli humanitarian efforts to rescue Nepalese trapped in the rubble after the earthquake last year. Tel Aviv bus driver Herzl Biton, though seriously wounded, wrestled with a knife-wielding terrorist in January and succeeded in opening the bus doors, allowing passengers to escape. Border Police Staff Sgt. Alison Berson, an immigrant from France, saved the life of a fellow officer in the West Bank in October 2015 when two Palestinians with knives drawn approached a checkpoint. In 2009, Avi Toibin dove into the polluted waters of the Yarkon River and rescued Israeli canoe champion Yasmin Feingold whose boat had capsized, trapping her.
2016-05-11 00:00:00
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