Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published an image of himself wearing tefillin, the ritual Jewish phylacteries, stating that he dedicated his prayers this year to the memory of American born soldier Sean Carmeli, who was killed during the Gaza war.
The post was framed within what Israel marks as “Memorial Day”, with Netanyahu adopting overt religious language. He described the wearing of tefillin as representing a “deep connection between generations”, linking ancient traditions to what he called modern day heroism.
He further characterised the act of wrapping the leather straps around his arm and over his heart as embodying what he referred to as a “journey of the soul”, a religious concept associated with self sacrifice in the pursuit of sanctifying God.
Netanyahu concluded his statement with a direct quotation from the Book of Deuteronomy 28:10: “Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you.”
