The YIWH was privileged to take part in a simchas torah initiative with Mizrachi and the shul raised the funds for a Meil in memory of the victims of Oct 7th. Hashgacha pratis allowed us to recognize Major Ilay Zisser.

At 7:30 that morning on October 7th, he was called in to head to the front lines to counter the Hamas onslaught. Ilay Zisser was part of a small team of nine Sayeret Matkal soldiers — who were among the first Israeli forces to head into the besieged Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Vastly outnumbered, the elite soldiers charged ahead, and Ilay, along with 3 others were killed in the firefight.

Ilay was buried on October 12 in the Nahalal Cemetery in the Jezreel Valley. He is survived by his wife, Tomer, his parents, Vered and Daniel, and his three older siblings Ido, Lior and Noam.

A career officer, Ilay had been in the military for close to a decade when he was killed, first enlisting in 2014 as a cadet in the Israeli Air Force’s flight course, and later serving as a soldier and commander in Sayeret Matkal, where he eventually headed his own team. Ilay’s family said he planned to eventually finish his military service and study engineering, with a focus on environmental and ecological projects.

He loved to play chess, his loved ones said, and was also very outdoorsy, enjoying hiking and running and exploring the country. In his memory, his family has set up a “Running with Zisser” initiative, staging memorial runs around the country, “preserving his spirit and legacy while doing the things he loved and promoting a cause he believed in.”

Ilay’s mother, Vered Zisser said she looked up in a dictionary “the definition of a hero. It’s someone who goes out to save somebody without thinking about themselves. That was Ilay.

Ilay’s life was short, but it was rich with experiences and filled with purpose. He will remain in the memory of everyone who knew him as both a hero and a person of rare depth and humanity. A man who was, at his core, reliable, honest, and kind – simple and genuine.

It is our privilege to pay tribute to Maj. Ilay Zisser and his family. The YIWH will be hosting a Run-with-Zisser the morning of May 4th, and later that evening hold a special award presentation to his family at our shul Dinner.