18 hrs ago
Israeli Couple Welcomes Baby After Son's Death in Hamas Captivity
Nira and Yigal Sarusi lost their son Almog after he was taken hostage during the October 7 attack in Israel.
He was later killed while being held in Gaza.
The couple remembered that they had eggs frozen more than 25 years ago.
They decided to see if they could use them to have another child.
After several attempts, they found a surrogate who carried the baby.
Their son Lavi was born on Yom Kippur.
The family shared the news at his circumcision ceremony in Ra'anana.
They said they still feel deep sadness for Almog, while also feeling hope and happiness about the new baby.
Nira and Yigal Sarusi welcomed a baby boy named Lavi, conceived using eggs frozen more than 25 years ago.
The couple, now in their 60s, had four children, including Almog Sarusi, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Almog was 26 when abducted and was killed in Hamas captivity in August 2024, according to the Israel Defence Forces.
His body and those of five other hostages were later recovered by Israeli forces from a tunnel in Gaza.
The family kept the pregnancy and birth private until Lavi’s circumcision ceremony in Ra'anana; a surrogate carried the pregnancy.
- Who
- Nira and Yigal Sarusi, parents of Almog Sarusi, welcomed their son Lavi.
- What
- They had a baby conceived using eggs frozen more than 25 years ago and carried by a surrogate.
- Where
- The circumcision ceremony took place in Ra'anana; Almog was held in a tunnel in Gaza.
- When
- Lavi was born on Yom Kippur, just over a week before the Monday circumcision ceremony. Almog was killed in August 2024.
- Why
- The couple decided to try to have another child after Almog was killed in Hamas captivity.
Grief and remembrance
Hope and new life
How the family describes the birth
Grief and remembrance
Almog's sister Amit said the loss, pain and longing remain, and that nothing will heal the pain.
Hope and new life
Amit and the family's invitation also expressed hope and joy at welcoming a younger brother for Almog; Ra'anana Mayor Chaim Broyde described the baby as bringing a smile to the family.
Key facts
- Baby's name
- Lavi
- Parents
- Nira and Yigal Sarusi, now in their 60s
- Conception
- Using eggs frozen more than 25 years ago
- Birth
- On Yom Kippur; the exact date is not stated
- Surrogate
- A surrogate carried the pregnancy
- Ceremony
- Circumcision ceremony in Ra'anana on Monday
- Almog Sarusi
- Abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023; killed in captivity in August 2024, according to the IDF
- Other hostages killed
- Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov and Carmel Gat
Quotes
Nira and Yigal Sarusi’s family
The Sarusi family, in the invitation to the baby’s Brit Milah.
“The loss, the pain, the longing lives in us at every moment. Nothing will heal the pain, and life goes on alongside it. So, Almog, you surely already know, because you moved things up there so that it could happen. But a younger brother was also born to you, from Mom and Dad. We will not let evil beat us; we will continue on your path and make you proud.”
NDTV
“A miracle happened to us. Thanks to a wonderful surrogate, a son was born to us on Yom Kippur. We will forever carry in our hearts the pain for Almog, may God avenge his blood, but we are full of hope that alongside the pain we will manage to rejoice in the gifts that God has bestowed upon us.”
NDTV
Chaim Broyde
Mayor of Ra’anana, who attended the ceremony.
“At the circumcision ceremony, there was tremendous longing. Tears. Pain. And something else: a baby bringing a huge smile to a family for whom the meaning of the word ‘life' is so profound.”
NDTV
Sources
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