JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Menachem, the brother of Elhanan Kalmanson, who fell on October 7 in Kibbutz Beeri, shared on Monday a chilling story about his grandfather Moshe, who arrived in the Land of Israel alone from Poland shortly before the outbreak of the war.

“He immigrated out of Zionism, built a family, and served in the ‘Haganah’ and in the IDF. He was always searching to see if anyone had survived the flames. Every day he would turn on the radio and listen to the program for locating relatives, hoping that maybe a name would rise from the ashes.”

When he came to Israel, his grandfather left behind a large family, including seven brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and many cousins. Menachem said the absence was always felt: “At every occasion there was a tear of pain for those who weren’t there, and a tear of joy for those who were.” Years after the war, it was discovered that two second cousins had survived.

Against this family background, the bereaved brother shared a defining moment from October 7. He described meeting a young man from Be’eri whose parents and brother were trapped in the heart of the inferno. “The last phone in the safe room died, there was gunfire outside, flames licking the house, and choking smoke.” Elhanan told the young man that as soon as they received approval from the command post, they would be able to help his loved ones. Shortly afterward came the message that made the young man collapse to the ground: “There is heavy fighting there, it’s forbidden to go in. We’re sorry, maybe later.”

In those tense moments, Elhanan looked at the young man silently, briefly consulted with Menachem, and decided to go in despite the warnings. “We entered under fire. They [the family members] were rushed to our jeep by soldiers, and we sped away.”

The most chilling part became clear days later: “That family, the Alon family, are the sons and grandchildren of our grandfather Moshe’s cousin. The remnant of the remnant, a brand plucked from the fire.”

According to him, his grandfather’s family waited four years in Poland for someone to come and help, but no one did. He concluded: “And us? For two and a half years now, hundreds of thousands have been coming, day after day, shift after shift. Tear after tear. Siren after siren. Memorial Day after Memorial Day. Holocaust and Heroism. In the Land of Israel, the Jewish people have risen.”

He ended the post by dedicating it to the memory of his brother, who risked his life to save others and paid the ultimate price.

As previously reported, on October 7, Menachem, Elhanan, and their nephew Itiel went out independently to save lives, without waiting for a call from security services or a reserve draft order. Elhanan, a religious man who lived in Otniel in Judea and Samaria, sent his brother a message that he was going out to fight. The long distance between Otniel and Be’eri, and the knowledge they were heading into a battle of few against many, did not stop them, as the sense of mission and the fight for home drove their heroic actions. For these actions, the trio received the Israel Prize in 2024.