Jerusalem, Israel - May 9, 2024  - Yom HaZikaron, The Israeli Memorial Day For Fallen Soldiers And Victims Of Terror Begins On Sunday Night This Year, May 12, 2024

Tragically this year, 1,421 new names will be added to the list. Thousands of families will observe and mourn, the loss of one or more family members. 

Each loss is a story and was a world of its own, worthy to be shared, but on the occasion of erev Yom HaZikaron, to honor the fallen, BJL features one young soldier with a connection to Baltimore. 

Eytan Meisels was born in Switzerland, made aliyah to Israel after high school, and after finishing his PhD at Weizmann Institute, the family came to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for his post-doctoral research from 1991 to 1994. It was while living in Baltimore that Nitai Meisels, H'yd, was born.

Eytan, a regular at SOTC - Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim on Shabbos, remarked that during the week he davened at the Agudah Park Heights because they had the earliest minyan in town.

The family returned to Rechovot, and at 16 years old, Nitai began volunteering for MDA - Magen David Adom, completing the course of training for multiple causality events and started volunteering with an intensive care ambulance team.


During his army service, Nitai served in the Israeli Tank Corps, in an elite tank unit, and on October 7, Simhat Torah was called back to reserve duty.

On December 24, 2023, 12 Tevet 5784, 30-year-old Nitai fell during a search mission to locate hostages in the Shati refugee camp in the Northern Gaza Strip.

In his memory, the family initiated a campaign to raise funds for an MDA bulletproof ambulance to be stationed in Eli.

What a special country, the amazing people sharing the values of those that drove them to be heroes, was a comment shared by a mother of another fallen young son on October 7.

MDA has opened a site Commemorating the memory of Nitai Meisels HY”D, and Amishar Ben David HY”D  for a bulletproof ambulance 

May all their memories be for a blessing