The project helps families cope by providing a community that understands military loss, offering psychological support, shared rituals, and a sense of continuity.
By Hezy Laing
The Brothers for Life – Bereaved Families Connection Project links Israeli bereaved families who lost sons serving in the IDF with Jewish families in the Diaspora who also lost sons in military service.
The initiative operates under Brothers for Life (Achim L’Chaim), founded in 2007 by wounded IDF veterans including Yaron Kestelman, Nir Ben‑David, and Erez Efrati.
The bereavement‑connection project began in the late 2010s after staff recognized that diaspora Jewish families who lost children in uniform often lacked a community that understood the unique nature of military bereavement.
The program now facilitates structured pairings, joint memorial ceremonies, home visits, and long‑term emotional support networks.
One of the most documented stories involves the Goldberg family of Maryland, whose son Max Steinberg, a lone soldier in the Golani Brigade, was killed in Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
They were paired with the Ben‑Shalom family of Jerusalem, whose son Amit Ben‑Shalom fell in the same battle in Shuja’iyya.
The families now visit each other annually, share Yom HaZikaron ceremonies, and participate in Brothers for Life retreats.
Another connection links the Katz family of Toronto, whose son Daniel Katz, a Canadian reservist, died in a training accident in 2012, with the Mizrahi family of Be’er Sheva, whose son Staff Sgt. Omer Mizrahi was killed in Gaza in 2018.
The families exchange letters, photographs, and personal stories, and the Katz family travels to Israel each year to stand beside Omer’s parents at Mount Herzl.
A third pairing involves the Rosen family of London, whose son Lt. Adam Rosen was killed while serving in the British Army in Afghanistan, and the Shalev family of Haifa, whose son Lt. Eitan Shalev died in a 2020 counter‑terror operation near Jenin.
The families participate together in memorial events and created a joint scholarship fund honoring both soldiers.
The project helps families cope by providing a community that understands military loss, offering psychological support, shared rituals, and a sense of continuity.
By pairing families with similar experiences, Brothers for Life reduces isolation, strengthens identity, and creates enduring bonds rooted in shared sacrifice.
