From unimaginable loss comes an extraordinary new life.
Nira and Yigal Sarusi, the parents of Almog Sarusi Z”L, have welcomed a baby boy named Lavi while in their 60s, more than two years after their son was murdered in Ham*s captivity.
On October 7, Almog escaped the Nova massacre with his girlfriend of five years, Shahar Gindi, and close friends Danielle Waldman, Noam Shai and Omri Ahrak. Their escape ended in horror when they came under attack. Shahar was shot and mortally wounded. Almog refused to abandon the woman he loved, remaining with her and desperately trying to save her. Shahar and their three friends were murdered, while Almog was kidnapped into Gaza.
After nearly 11 months in captivity, Almog was murdered alongside Hersh Goldberg Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lobanov and Ori Danino. Their bodies were recovered from a tunnel in Rafah in September 2024.
Then, amid their unbearable grief, Almog’s parents remembered something extraordinary.
Approximately 25 years earlier, eggs had been frozen during a medical procedure.
Now in their 60s, Nira and Yigal decided to try for another child. They found a surrogate and, after several attempts, the seemingly impossible happened.
A baby was born.
The pregnancy was kept private until Lavi’s brit milah in Ra’anana. The invitation contained four words that said everything:
“A miracle happened to us.”
Lavi was born on Yom Kippur.
After Almog escaped a massacre only to lose the woman he loved and three close friends, after he was dragged into Gaza, after months of captivity in the tunnels and ultimately murdered alongside five fellow hostages, the Sarusi family finally has a reason to smile again.
We can only imagine Almog Z”L looking down from Heaven, seeing some happiness return to his family as they hold the baby brother he never had the chance to meet.
Welcome to the world, Lavi. You were born into a family that will make sure you always know the name, courage and love of your big brother Almog. AM YISRAEL CHAI!
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