The loss of another Bnei Menashe soldier
We were devastated to hear of the loss of another Bnei Menashe soldier, Sergeant Gary Lalhruaikima Zolat, 21, from Afula.
Gary was a soldier in Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Batallion. He was among three other IDF soldiers killed in an explosion in northern Gaza, sacrificing their lives defending Israel.
Gary’s father, Dagan, saluted him in an emotional moment at the funeral.
Gary leaves behind his parents, two sisters, and a brother. He moved with his family in 2014 to Afula from Sderot, having come on Aliyah from Mizoram, India in 2006. Gary was the first IDF soldier from Mizoram to be killed in action.
Gary Zolat, in 2006 in Mumbai before his aliyah, on the shoulders of Eli Yitzhaki, next to Avi Mizrahi, who’s now the Project Director for Bnei Menashe & Absorption at Shavei Israel
We were heartbroken to see the photos on display at the shiva for Gary, reminding us of 3 year-old Gary, when we were involved in his Aliyah eighteen years ago.
May Hashem comfort the Zolat family and may we be worthy of Gary’s sacrifice. In Gary’s merit, we hope to bring the remaining 5,000 Bnei Menashe home to Israel and may Gary’s memory be a blessing, always.
