Fire-Carved Testament of a Devoted Father
In a heart-wrenching incident on October 7, 2023, Gil Ta'asa, a former member of the Israeli security forces, lost his life shielding his sons Koren (12) and Shai (8) from a grenade during a Hamas attack in Netiv Ha'asara, Israel. This selfless act has been hailed as an example of sacrificial love and sacred masculinity.
According to reports, Gil Ta'asa's sons, Shai, and Koren, suffered injuries in the attack. Shai, the elder of the two, tragically lost sight in one eye as a result. The family's eldest son, Or Ta'asa, was also a victim of the attack, having been murdered by Hamas at Zikim Beach on the same morning.
The Ta'asa family's ordeal has shed light on the changing demographics of college students in four-year schools. As per data from Samuel J. Abrams, a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a visiting scholar with Sutherland Institute, young men account for only 42% of college students ages 18 to 24, down from 47% in 2011.
The Ta'asa family's plight has also highlighted the importance of parental love in Jewish tradition. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes that fatherhood must be reinforced by communal moral codes, and Jewish tradition recognizes that parental love transcends instinct and is covenantal, as captured in Isaiah's words, "Can a woman forget her baby... Though she might forget, I never could forget you."
The family's pleas for mercy during the attack were made through Google Translate, with Koren Ta'asa appealing to the militants to spare his mother and brother. Sabine Ta'asa, the family matriarch, has spoken of the difficulty of sleeping soundly at night with an enemy next to them.
The attack on the Ta'asa family has also brought attention to the alarming rise in suicide rates among younger men. Since 2010, suicide rates have risen by 30 percent for men aged 25 to 34. This statistic is particularly concerning when juxtaposed with the fact that nearly 25 percent of American children grow up without fathers.
Research shows that children with committed, married fathers have better educational outcomes, lower crime rates, and improved mental health. This underscores the crucial role fathers play in their children's lives.
In the face of relentless mockery of traditional masculinity in popular culture, Gil Ta'asa's act can be seen as a fulfillment of David's lament in Jewish tradition, "If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son." Gil Ta'asa's death was considered a Kiddush Hashem, or sanctification through ultimate sacrifice.
Israel announced that it had killed the terrorist who was caught on camera in September 2024. The Ta'asa family's story serves as a poignant reminder of the depths of parental love and the sacrifices that some are willing to make for their children.
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