4 | MARCH 16 • 2023
PURELY COMMENTARY
essay
Remembering My Friend And Hero
T
hirty years ago this
month, the State of
Israel lost a hero
— Yehoshua Friedberg,
z”l. Yehoshua was an
accomplished soldier and a
learned yeshivah
student. He was
a devoted son
and brother. For
me, I will always
cherish him
as an amazing
friend.
I met
Yehoshua when he was simply
“Jason from Montreal,” during
college while he and I spent
our junior years together at
the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem. Jason and I were
assigned as roommates in
the Resnik dormitory on the
Mount Scopus campus. Jason
was the consummate mensch
and good guy, always helping
others or offering words of
encouragement. Jason radiated
a warmth with his endearing
humility and infectious smile.
Jason loved studying Jewish
texts and playing basketball.
Jason could always be found
in one of two places — either
in the Beit Midrash or on the
basketball court — and he was
equally proficient at grinding
through a challenging tractate
of the Talmud as he was
gliding through the lane in a
competitive basketball game.
Jason used his year in
Jerusalem to establish a
foundation for a life in
Israel. Forgoing prosperous
opportunities back in North
America, Jason made aliyah
and became Yehoshua full-
time — enrolling in an
intensive program at Yeshivat
Machon Meir and then
enlisting in the elite Golani
brigade of the Israeli army.
In fact, Yehoshua specifically
enlisted before his birthday so
that he could avoid a limited
tour of duty.
Receiving numerous
military commendations for
his discipline and maturity,
Yehoshua made the critical
decision to become an officer,
thereby extending his duty
and allowing him to lead and
mentor a new class of soldiers.
Yehoshua needed to
travel from Jerusalem to Tel
HaShomer for an examination
in connection with his officers
training. Like many others in
Israel at the time, Yehoshua
opted to hitchhike, proudly
wearing his army uniform
and knit kippah (as he always
had). It is believed Yehoshua
was picked up by a car driven
by Palestinian terrorists
dressed as religious Jews —
and he never arrived at his
destination.
Unfortunately, it took
the Israel Defense Forces
several days to declare
Yehoshua officially missing
and to launch a full-scale
search. Yehoshua’s family
in Montreal was notified of
the circumstances, and they
immediately headed to the
airport to fly to Israel. Upon
landing at a stopover in
London, they were greeted by
the Israeli ambassador who
shared the terrible news —
Yehoshua’s body was found,
fatally shot three times and
dumped in the foothills near
Jerusalem.
On March 15, 1993,
Yehoshua was buried at the
military cemetery atop Mount
Herzl. Many thousands
attended the funeral, including
the family’s longtime rabbi
from Montreal, Rabbi Dr.
Mordecai Zeitz, who was
asked to speak about his
special congregant.
As he prepared his eulogy,
Rabbi Zeitz struggled to find
the right words of comfort,
until he settled on the verse
from Genesis 28:12, describing
the imagery of Jacob’s ladder
connecting heaven and earth.
Highlighting the various
elements of Yehoshua’s life,
Rabbi Zeitz beautifully
declared, “Yehoshua was the
ladder, connecting heaven
with earth, and bringing
the Almighty and the values
of the Torah into all of our
daily lives. In so doing,
Yehoshua elevated everyone
he encountered to strive and
accomplish more than they
thought possible.”
Yehoshua’s family was very
moved by Rabbi Zeitz’s eulogy.
In appreciation, the family
presented the Rabbi with
Yehoshua’s personal Siddur
that he used to pray with every
day and that was found near
his body. Rabbi Zeitz was
touched by the gift.
While flying back to
Montreal, Rabbi Zeitz perused
the Siddur and made a
startling discovery. On the
inside cover of the Siddur,
Yehoshua had handwritten one
special verse in its entirety —
the verse from Genesis 28:12
describing Jacob’s ladder!
Next month, on April 26,
Israel will celebrate Yom
HaAtzmaut, commemorating
the 75th anniversary of its
formation. During the prior
day, however, Israel will
observe Yom HaZikaron,
appropriately honoring the
sacrifice and memory of all
its fallen soldiers, including
Yehoshua. May all their
memories forever be a blessing
and an inspiration, and may
my friend continue to serve as
a vital ladder to the heavens,
bringing us closer to our
teachings, our traditions and
our homeland.
Ethan Gilan is a lawyer, serving
as in-house general counsel for an
automotive supplier. He resides in
Huntington Woods.
Ethan Gilan
CLASS OF 2021
SIMON MOURANI
CLASS OF 2016
RAJ CHHAYA
CLASS OF 2022
KIANNA MATEEN
CLASS OF 2011
TERONTO ROBINSON, M.D.
CLASS OF 2015
CHRISTINA GUSTIN