The Tank of Tears: A Yom HaZikaron Ode to Israel’s Fallen Heroes

On Yom HaZikaron, as Israel pauses to honor over 25,000 fallen soldiers, a single tank stands as a weathered monument to sacrifice, binding two generations of heroes across 18 years of war.

This tank, scarred by missiles and time, holds the stories of young men, religious and secular, settler and kibbutznik, immigrant and sabra, who gave everything for their country.

In 2006, it carried Captain Benaya Rhein and his eclectic crew, Sgt. Uri Grossman, St.-Sgt. Alexander “Sasha” Bonimovich, and St.-Sgt. Adam Goren, through the fire of the Second Lebanon War, in which they heroically fell.

Last week, it bore Captain Ido Voloch, a 21-year-old platoon commander, to his final stand in Gaza’s Shuja’iyya.

From Sasha’s brilliance to Adam’s humility, Uri’s ethics to Ido’s radiant leadership, their lives, woven through this machine, speak of unity and loss, urging Israel to heal as it mourns. Ido’s story, only recently concluded, his love for his comrades, his country, and life itself leaving an indelible mark on those who knew and loved him.

Ido Voloch, born in Jerusalem, was only 21 when he fell last Friday (@5 April 2025), becoming the 850th IDF soldier killed since the war began on October 7, 2023.

Ido was a platoon commander in Battalion 46 of the 401st Armored Brigade, Iron Tracks Division. He was killed during a clash with terrorists in Shuja’iyya, northern Gaza, when an RPG struck his tank, moderately wounding another soldier.

Just days earlier, he had been promoted to captain in a military ceremony held in Gaza, a moment captured in a video sent to his family, as his brother Ori shared on Kan’s “Boker HaZeh.”

Ori described Ido’s journey with pride and pain: “It was hard for him at first to enlist in the Armored Corps when all his friends wanted to go to special forces. But he was an Armored Corps soldier; he followed in his father’s footsteps, and no one understood why.” Ido’s love for tanks, the camaraderie, and the mission defined him. “He enjoyed the profession, working with tanks, and the good people in the corps,” Ori said, noting Ido’s first role as a tank gunner near Gaza.

Ido’s passion for life was as vibrant as his service. Food was central to his world, Ori recalled: “His day revolved around food. In the army, he would cook for his buddies in Gaza, and when he could, he would take photos and send them.” His culinary creations, shared with his platoon, were a taste of home in the chaos of war. A die-hard fan of Hapoel Jerusalem, Ido’s love for basketball and soccer was rooted in childhood memories.

“One of my childhood memories is that Ido and I would sit on Dad’s knees in Malcha, Hapoel’s basketball arena,” Ori said. “He played basketball and soccer for Hapoel. He was a real athlete.” Ido’s athletic spirit and zest for life made him a magnetic presence, lifting those around him even in the darkest moments.

His commitment to Israel ran deep. In a text written six months earlier during his officer’s course, Ido expressed gratitude for commanding a tank platoon, dedicating his choice to fallen friends: “Thank you for the privilege of starting to command a tank platoon now, which is more needed than ever. I dedicate this choice to the memory of Ido Testa, Itai Fogel, Ophir Barkovitz, and Barak Segen, may their memories be a blessing, my dear friends who are no longer here, and to all the other heroes who risked their lives so that we can live here.”

This reflection, read by Ori on air, captures Ido’s sense of duty and love for his comrades, a resolve that carried him to his final battle.

The tank that carried Ido was the same one that bore Benaya’s crew in 2006.

When war broke out in Lebanon, Benaya Rhein, a 27-year-old from Karnei Shomron, was on leave but couldn’t stay home.

He hounded his superiors for a tank, assembling a crew that was Israel in miniature: Uri Grossman, a Jerusalem sabra born in 1985, son of author David Grossman, whose name “light” matched his warmth; Adam Goren, a kibbutznik from Ma’abarot, born on his mother’s 40th birthday, “the greatest present,” his brother Hanan recalls; and Alexander “Sasha” Bonimovich, born June 8, 1987, in Minsk, Belarus, immigrating to Netanya at two-and-a-half.

Sasha, dubbed “the family genius,” memorized children’s poems by 18 months, learned Hebrew instantly, and stood out with his bold charisma. A warrior from childhood, he led naturally, resolving conflicts with sensitivity, as his teacher Einat Tomer noted.

Uri, the unit’s most ethical soldier, greeted anti-occupation protesters respectfully at checkpoints. Adam, a humble loader-signaler, loved his Merkava Mark IV, always urging, “Do what you can for your country.” Though due for release, Adam insisted on fighting, joining “Benaya’s Force,” legendary in Taybeh for delivering rations, maps, and rescuing the wounded under fire.

They saved eight soldiers from Hezbollah territory and evacuated Colonel Miki Edelstein’s vehicle.

On August 12, 2006, during a complex rescue in eastern Lebanon, a Hezbollah missile hit their tank, setting it ablaze. It exploded, killing all four.

Adam earned a 2006 Head of Regional Command Citation for his “remarkable comradery, decisiveness, and self-sacrifice”; Sasha received a posthumous OC Central Command commendation for his “extraordinary determination.”

Uri’s father wrote a song likening a soldier’s life to spring’s fleeting burst; Adam’s mother, in a eulogy, mourned, “My sweet child, I caress your bright green eyes,” dying six years later, followed by her husband, their bodies broken by grief.

The tank’s story, spanning Lebanon’s hills to Gaza’s streets, is a thread through Israel’s wars. In 2006, it carried a crew that could’ve debated politics, settlements or reforms, but united in duty. Uri’s respect, Adam’s selflessness, and Sasha’s boldness defined them. In 2025, it bore Ido, whose leadership echoed their spirit. Hours before Ido’s death, Sgt. Maj. Neta Yitzhak Kahana, 19, fell in a Shejaiya operation, another loss in a war that spares no one.

Yom HaZikaron weighs heavy with more than 800 soldiers fallen since October 7, 2023. Ido’s story, his cooking, his Hapoel fandom, his dedication, alongside the stories of Neta Yitzhak, Benaya, Uri, Adam, and Sasha. The tank, a relic of sacrifice, asks Israel to hold tight to unity, to mend fractures. Ido’s smile, like Uri’s light and Sasha’s charisma, urges a future worthy of their blood. On this day, we owe them that promise.

May their memories be blessed.

Sources: Tamir Hayman, Amit Segal, Arieh Golan/Kan 11 (April 27, 2025), Yael Chekhanover, The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Channel 12, Olami