Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (left), president and founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), is pictured at The Fellowship’s gathering of terror victims’ families in Jerusalem on Monday. Photo: Olivier Fitoussi.

JNS.org – Ahead of Israel’s national Memorial Day (Yom Hazikaron), the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (known as The Fellowship) on Monday hosted a gathering of families of Israelis who have been killed and wounded in the wave of Palestinian terrorism that started last September.

The Fellowship — a humanitarian group founded in 1983 to “promote understanding between Jews and Christians and build broad support for Israel and other shared concerns — provides year-round guidance and support for victims of terrorism. One of the bereaved parents who took part in Monday’s meeting in Jerusalem was Ofer Cohen, father of 19-year-old Border Police officer Hadar Cohen, who was shot and killed in a terrorist attack at Damascus Gate in February.

“My daughter took down the terrorist, saving lives. I won’t tell a lie, we have no comfort in the face of the great void Hadar left behind. The embrace of the people of Israel helps us deal with a difficult situation. We’re proud when we hear, for example, that four baby girls have already been named after her,” Ofer Cohen said.

Another participant was Capt. Ziv Shilon, who lost an arm to a bomb in the Gaza Strip in 2012.

“Great people in this country are dealing with great challenges. If we, the wounded, know how to overcome the little things, nothing will stop us,” Shilon said.

Rabbi Yehiel Eckstein, president and founder of The Fellowship, welcomed the participants and told them, “It’s important that every Israeli citizen feel the scope of the debt we owe you.”