In a deeply moving event held at the President’s Residence in Yerushalayim, the final letters were written in a Sefer Torah dedicated l’ilui nishmas Sergeant Segev Schwartz Hy”d — a courageous young soldier who gave his life al kiddush Hashem to save dozens of his fellow soldiers during the horrific October 7th attack.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Ayelet HaShachar organization, under the leadership of Rabbi Shlomo Ra’anan, who remarked: “The heroic mesirus nefesh of Sergeant Segev Schwartz, and the decision to commemorate his memory through a Sefer Torah, reflect the deep bond between ahavas haTorah and dedication to Klal Yisrael.”

Present were Segev’s parents and family members, who joined President Yitzchak Herzog in the emotional writing of the final letters. The President recalled his visit during the shivah and again expressed his hakaras hatov to the family for their son’s extraordinary bravery. “Your son saved many lives,” the President said. “This Torah, written in his memory, is a lasting testimony to who he was.”

On that dreadful Shabbos morning, Sergeant Schwartz, a soldier in the Nachal Brigade’s 50th Battalion, was stationed at the Sufa outpost near the Gaza border. As waves of terrorists infiltrated the area, Segev and his fellow soldiers rushed to defend their position. On his way to the dining hall, where they planned to regroup, Segev spotted a grenade — and without hesitation, threw himself on it, sacrificing his life to protect his brothers-in-arms.

Among those who participated in the writing of the Torah were prominent Rabbanim, including the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef shlit”a, who received the family in his office and wrote a letter in the Sefer Torah. Rav Yosef praised Segev’s mesirus nefesh and offered words of nechamah: “Not only did your son give his life al kiddush Hashem, he also merited to save many others. Such a zechus places him among the lofty neshamos who sit before the Kisei HaKavod.”

The Stropkover Rebbe also requested to meet with Segev’s mother after hearing about his act of heroism. She shared that, “although we’ve done many things to remember Segev, this Sefer Torah feels like the true crown of it all.” Deeply moved, the Rebbe later told the father, “Your son gave his life for Hashem and Klal Yisrael. Please give me a brachah — there is no greater zechus than this.”

Later that evening, the family visited the home of the renowned mekubal, the Yinuka, who, despite feeling weak, insisted on writing a letter in the Torah and spending time with the Schwartz family. After hearing the story, he, too, asked for a brachah from the father — a powerful gesture of kavod for one who had raised a son of such caliber.

The family also met with Rav Dovid Lau, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Hampton Synagogue in New York. After hearing the moving details of Segev’s final moments, the rabbanim were presented with a bottle of wine from a line dedicated to Segev’s memory.

Though Segev Schwartz Hy”d was tragically taken in his youth, his legacy lives on — not only in the hearts of his family and comrades, but now through the letters of a Torah scroll that will continue to teach and inspire. In a world so desperately in need of emunah and achdus, his ultimate act of mesirus nefesh stands as a living example of what it means to give everything for another Yid.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)