Israel Railways Opens First Station Synagogue In Memory Of Noa Marciano HY”D

Israel Railways dedicated a new synagogue at Modiin Central Railway Station this week in memory of Noa Marciano HY”D, nearly three years after she was abducted from the Nahal Oz outpost and murdered in Hamas captivity.

It is the first synagogue opened at an Israel Railways station. The dedication ceremony was attended by Israel Railways Chairman Moshe Shimoni, acting Israel Railways CEO Avner Flor, Modiin Mayor Haim Bibas, the city rabbi, members of the Marciano family, Israel Railways employees and other guests who came to honor Noa’s memory.

Noa, the daughter of Israel Railways employee Avi Marciano, served as a lookout soldier at the Nahal Oz outpost. She was abducted to Gaza during the Hamas massacre on October 7. More than a month later, on November 14, the IDF announced that she had been murdered in captivity. Her body was later recovered by IDF troops from a structure near Shifa Hospital in Gaza and returned to Israel.

During the ceremony, family members and friends spoke about Noa’s personality, her sense of mission and her desire to contribute to the country. They also recalled her “gratitude notebook,” where she wrote down thoughts, moments and reasons to give thanks. After her death, the notebook became one of the symbols of her optimism and values.

Her father, Avi Marciano, said the decision to commemorate Noa through a synagogue carried special meaning for the family.

“Now we will be able to continue commemorating Noa through prayer and Torah study that will take place in the synagogue in her memory,” he said. “I thank all the partners at Israel Railways who accompanied us, supported the family and helped bring our Noa’s memorial project to fruition.”

Transportation and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev said the synagogue would be “a house of memory, hope and continuity.”

“Noa, who was kidnapped and murdered while fulfilling her mission of defending the State of Israel, will now be commemorated in a place that will spread light, faith and unity,” Regev said. “The Israel Railways family and the Marciano family teach us all how to turn great pain into a project of life and values.”

Shimoni said he had accompanied the Marciano family since October 7 and had seen their pain alongside their determination to keep telling Noa’s story.

“There is no place that symbolizes continuity more than a synagogue that will bear her name,” he said. “In every prayer heard here, Noa’s name will also be heard.”

The synagogue is expected to serve train passengers, station workers and local residents, while standing as a fixed memorial to Noa Marciano HY”D. Israel Railways said her story and legacy will now accompany the thousands of people who pass through the station each day.