Staff Sergeant Eli Valentine Ghnassia fell in action while defending Kibbutz Be'eri on Oct. 7. From a young age, he had aspired to live in Israel. He joined the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier and tragically lost his life just three weeks shy of completing his service. Chloe, his 26-year-old sister, enrolled in a Birthright program through "Israel Experience," a Jewish Agency initiative to commemorate her brother's legacy.
Eli first came to Israel from France in 2021 on a Birthright trip. The transformative experience inspired him to make aliyah and enlist in the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade as a lone soldier. Following his death in combat, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel posthumously granted him honorary Israeli citizenship.
Since the tragic events of October, Chloe's encounters with Israel have been predominantly marked by grief – visiting cemeteries, Kibbutz Be'eri, mourning families, and attending memorial services. Now, through Birthright, she has the chance to discover different facets of the country, particularly its rich Jewish history. This week, Chloe's entire Birthright group joined her in a solemn visit to Eli Valentine's gravesite on Mount Herzl.
Chloe explains that she chose to participate in Birthright to continue the journey her brother began, confident that he would be immensely proud of her decision. Remarkably, just five days after Eli's funeral on Mount Herzl, Chloe returned to take the French bar exam. She passed successfully, attributing much of her achievement to her brother's unwavering encouragement and support prior to his untimely death.
