Two months after her son Eli Moshe was killed battling Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Sara Zimbalist shared a moving video calling on the public to embody her son’s positive traits and dedicate themselves to enriching both their own lives and those of others.
Sgt. Eli Moshe Zimbalist, 21, from the Combat Engineering Corps, was one of eight soldiers killed on June 15.
Their Namer armored personnel carrier was struck by an anti-tank missile during an operation in Tel al-Sultan, just north of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.
Described by his mother as having a heart of gold, “Eli Mo” was known for his ability to connect with people, make them feel appreciated and spread love wherever he went.
“He would greet everyone with a smile,” Zimbalist said. “Eli Moshe was a doer. He would see something that needed to be done, and he would go out and just do it or fix it.”
Zimbalist encouraged people to emulate Eli Moshe’s admirable qualities.
“Every day, try to be a little bit more like Eli Moshe,” she said. “Share a smile, help someone in need, appreciate people, and together we can try to make our lives and other people’s lives more meaningful.”
Born in Silver Spring, Md., Eli Moshe immigrated to Israel in 2005 with his parents, Sara and Simmy Zimbalist, at age 2, settling in Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.
The video was published on the social-media channels of United Hatzalah, where Zimbalist serves as a volunteer medic as part of the organization’s Sandberg Women’s Initiative.
