IDF Battalion Doctor Dr. Capt. Uri Yosef Silvester, of Blessed Memory, Laid to Rest: “Soldiers Are Alive Because of Him”

At the Segula military cemetery in Petah Tikva, Dr. Capt. Uri Yosef Silvester, of blessed memory, the doctor for the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, who fell yesterday in battle in the Beaufort Ridge area in southern Lebanon, was laid to rest today (Tuesday).

Dr. Silvester was expected to be discharged from service in just a few short weeks. His wife, Shahar, whom he married only about a year ago, eulogized him: "I was privileged to have you love me, and I was privileged to love you. A disaster happened that I could not imagine in any nightmare, and the life as I knew it is over."

She spoke about the long-awaited discharge: "We were counting the days. It was so close. Just three more weeks. There was already a flight planned and a party for the end of your role. I survived only for you and because of the hope you created in me every day. Thank you for being who you are. You are the best thing that ever happened to me in life. I could not even have dreamed you. It is hard to believe how much I was blessed."

The outgoing battalion commander, Lt. Col. Daniel Luria, said Silvester was one of the most significant figures in the battalion. "Your commanders, your friends, and your soldiers all testify that you were a special person. You knew how to bring people together, to give a sense of security and calm. You were among the best. You saved lives. For about a year and a half, you served in the battalion and took part in combat both in Gaza and in Lebanon. The good of the wounded and the soldiers was always before your eyes. Because of you, we fought knowing that if something happened, there was someone we could rely on."

The IDF Chief Medical Officer, Brig. Gen. Dr. Zivan Aviad-Bar, added: "Uri chose the medical profession out of a desire to save lives, and he chose to serve as a battalion doctor מתוך the understanding that the place he was needed most was alongside the soldiers on the front lines. Just about two months ago, during the fighting in Bint Jbeil, Silvester identified a complex incident under fire, quickly reached an officer who had been hit in the chest, and stayed by his side until he was evacuated to the hospital. Forty minutes from injury to arrival at the hospital, and he saved a life. The next day, he treated another soldier who was wounded by gunfire. Those two soldiers, and many others, are alive today because of him."