Barak Kalfon, a dedicated soldier serving under Rabbi Shweka’s command, tragically fell in action during the very same intense combat incident in Lebanon that left his commander critically wounded.
By Hezy Laing
In a testament to memory and resilience, Rabbi Or Shweka, a paratrooper company commander who survived a near-fatal battlefield injury in Lebanon, inducted his newborn son into the covenant of Abraham during an emotional brit milah ceremony.
Rabbi Shweka, who also serves as the director of the Beit Midrash for the Tzalash organization—a group dedicated to supporting military graduates—named his newborn child Yehuda Barak.
The dual name carries both personal and national significance, reflecting both a miraculous survival and a deep commitment to a fallen comrade.
The second name, Barak, was given to directly honor Barak Kalfon, a dedicated soldier serving under Rabbi Shweka’s command.
Kalfon tragically fell in action during the very same intense combat incident in Lebanon that left his commander critically wounded.
Rabbi Shweka’s reserve paratrooper unit (7056th Battalion of the 226th Brigade) was carrying out a mission to scan and clear buildings for weapons in the southern Lebanese village of Al-Jibbain (Jebbayn).
As Rabbi Shweka and his team entered a structure, they accidentally triggered a hidden Hezbollah explosive device inside the booby-trapped building.
According to an IDF probe, the bomb was not detonated remotely but rather triggered on-site. Warrant Officer (res.) Barak Kalfon, 48, was entering the building alongside his commander, Rabbi Shweka.
Kalfon was fatally wounded in the blast and later succumbed to his injuries at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. Three other soldiers were also wounded in the same incident.
During that fierce military engagement, Rabbi Shweka sustained severe trauma from flying shrapnel.
Highlighting the razor-thin margin of his survival, medical professionals subsequently removed a jagged piece of shrapnel from his neck.
The fragment had stopped a mere 1.5 millimeters from his windpipe, an extraordinarily close distance that doctors categorized as an absolute medical miracle.
The first name of the newborn, Yehuda, was chosen by Rabbi Shweka and his family as a direct expression of gratitude to God for preserving his life and granting him a physical resurrection following months of grueling medical rehabilitation.
The name originates from the Hebrew root word meaning to thank or praise.
For the family, the community, and the fellow soldiers of the paratrooper unit who attended the ritual ceremony, the naming served as a powerful intersection of grief, continuity, and hope.
By embedding the name of Barak Kalfon into the identity of his new son, Rabbi Shweka ensured that the legacy of his fallen soldier lives on through the next generation, transforming a moment of deep battlefield tragedy into a lasting symbol of life and memory.
