Ephraim Yechman z"l, from the Yeshivat Hesder in Yerucham, was killed in battle, but the song he composed remains his living memory. Together we composed the song "Min Hamitzar Karati Ya, Anani Bamerchav Y-a." (Out of Distress I Called to G-d, He answered me and set me free-Psalms 118) . I thank G-d that I am able to release the song for Ephraim's 23rd birthday as a source of strength and hope for his friends and family. I survived by a miracle, and with me the song and the memory of Ephraim. Yesterday (Thursday) would have been Ephraim Yechman's z"l 23rd birthday. Ephraim, a Givati soldier who was killed at the beginning of the war during a clash in the northern Gaza Strip. Instead, that day, which was meant to be a day of joy, became a day of memory and longing, a day of poignant commemoration where his family and friends remember Ephraim, his life, legacy, and his special melody. The song he composed during the war, is released now for the first time . Ephraim Yechman was a student at Yeshivat Hesder Yerucham, which lost ten of its students in the War of Iron Swords. His friends and family describe him as a model and an example to follow. His brother, Yosef Meir Yechman, one of six siblings, says: “He was a very serious person, loved Torah, and was deeply connected to it.” Ephraim was a talented musician who began playing the piano in first grade, and by the eighth grade, he also played guitar and drums . At the beginning of the war, Ephraim entered Gaza together with me, his yeshiva and fellow army friend. This is the moment that introduced us to the reality of war. The mortar shell that exploded near us was the moment we undstood the true dangers of the battle. Ephraim and I decided to compose a calm melody for the words of Psalsm, ‘Min Hamitzar Karati Ya’ (Out of distress I called God). The words and the melody truly express all of what was happening to us. After our fellow students, Itamar Rotsenstein and Yakir Yedidiah Shinkolovsky z"l were also killed in the war, Ephraim and I decided to release the song in their memory. Thus, the melody became a song of remembrance and strength for all the friends who fought together in Gaza and were eventually buried side by side in the cemetery . A month later, Ephraim was killed in the battle at Deir Tufah. I survived the battle, was slightly wounded, and recall the inferno. We were in a defensive position when three terrorists jumped into the building and started shooting. Ephraim went up the stairs with his company commander in order to assist the evacuating of the wounded, while I was evacuating another wounded soldier downstairs. On the last step, I spotted a grenade thrown at me, felt the blast, but continued to evacuate the injured soldier. Only later, when I myself was evacuated, I realized that I had been also injured. When returning home from Barzilai Hospital, my parents told me that Ephraim had been killed in the battle. I was one of the few who were so close to Ephraim, and that bonded us so much and I felt a sense of responsibility for him. I realized now that I have a lot of responsibility for his memory, preserving it by the song we composed. We tell Matanal's story: Matanal’s commitment to keep moving forward, didn’t stop there. A month and a half after he was wounded, Matanal returned to the front lines in Zaytoun, where his company was ordered to destroy a building and set fire to the third floor. “After I finished burning the room I was in, I realized I had no way out – the whole floor was engulfed in flames,” Matanal recounts. “I fired into the air, trying to find my way out in the thick smoke, unable to see anything. It was a moment when I sure that I wouldn’t come out alive out of it.” He whispered a prayer. “Suddenly, God opened my eyes and I saw a bright light through a window on that floor. I ran to the window, went outside, took a deep breath, and realized I had no choice but to jump down. It was clear to me that I have to continue and not give up – so I jumped three floors on a nearby warehouse roof. I survived miraculously, and with me the song and the memory of Ephraim also survived .” Ephram's friend, Yair Hananaya z"l was also killed in that battle. He, too, was a talented musician, and a student at the yeshiva. At the time, Matanal had asked Yair to produce a sketch of the song and record it. A few weeks after they recorded the first sketch, Yair was killed in battle. Thus, Yair Hananaya z"l became an inseparable part of the music video. And it became the outstanding memory for all the yeshiva students who were killed in the war . Rabbi Chaim Wolfson, head of Yeshivat Hesder Yerucham, feels that the song and music video, not only commemorate Ephraim but also represent the collective experience of the Jewish people. “The song ‘Min Hamitzar Karati Ya’ is actually the story of Israel, which is moving from distress to freedom,” says Rabbi Wolfson. “We are in state of distress that started on Simchat Torah, and we are working to extricate ourselves from it and defeat our enemies. Even with the distress and pain of loss, we discovered our strength .” Rabbi Wolfson adds, “This is a story about the difficulty of fighting in Gaza and the joy of the camaraderie among the fighters. It's also about the families’ grief, which they face with their heads held high, and inspiring us. This is a song about our brothers who are still imprisoned by our enemies, and how we long and cry for them to be freed.” In conclusion, Rabbi Wolfson says, “and the coming days are the days of Passover, which symbolize renewal and freedom .” Now, as the music video is released, Yosef Meir shares his feelings: “The music video was a very significant moment for me. After a whole year, everything came together into one powerful moment. The song became part of my prayer. It’s not just a song, it’s part of my life,” he concluded. Yosef spoke of a memorable moment from the day of filming it in the yeshiva, when the entire yeshiva gathered with the bereaved families and sang the song together, in tears and, despite that, with an uplifting spirit. “It didn’t feel staged; it was a powerful moment of truth .” Matanal concludes that the release of the music video is accompanied by “mixed feelings.” “On one hand, there’s pain, a shiver – it all converges into a painful moment,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m happy that we succeeded in releasing it, after all we’ve been through.” He emphasized, “The message of the music video is the desired integration of the different worlds of each one of us – the family, the army, and the yeshiva." "From this integration, the ideal image of a yeshiva student emerges, one who is a partner, bearing the responsibility for Israel and its Torah. Beyond the memory and pain shown in the video, there’s a call for ascent from crisis, and a vision of growth and continuity .” Ephraim Yechman Hy"d and friends Courtesy Second from the left - Ephraim Yechman Hy"d. first from the right - Matanal Lisner (Rochel Sylvetsky took part in writing this article in tribute to Ephraim, Hy"d, who was a high school classmate of her grandson who suffered a critical head injury in a terror ramming attack, spent months in Hadassah Hospital Neuro-ICU and then a year in Beit Levinstein Rehab Hospital. Ephraim Hy"d phoned him every Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. to study Torah with him as his "chavruta," continuing even when he went on to the Yerucham Hesder Yeshiva.)
