During a lecture at the Technion, Idan's mother, Eti Raz, spoke about her son's life and legacy, mentioning that he had won first place in the Nadav Shoham Memorial "RoboTraffic" competition in 2014. The annual robotics contest is held at the Technion in partnership with the Ytek educational nonprofit, which works to reduce educational inequality.
The lecture prompted Dr. Evgeny Kurtchnoy, director of the Technion's Robotics Center, to search the university archives. There he located photographs and news coverage from the competition and made a surprising discovery: he himself had signed Idan's winner's certificate 12 years earlier.
The archived materials were later presented to the Raz family, creating what they described as a meaningful full-circle moment.
"The fact that the head of the Robotics Center went searching through the archives after hearing my lecture shows me that Idan's story continues to resonate," Eti Raz said. "For me, it was a real massage for the heart."
"Idan forever"
Last October, about a week before the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack, Eti Raz spoke at the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum, where she shared her son's life story.
She described Idan as a sensitive yet energetic child, an outstanding athlete, a gifted mathematician, a beloved youth instructor in his kibbutz and a devoted Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer fan.
Although he was initially exempted from military service because of a life-threatening bee allergy, Idan fought to enlist. He wrote letters, underwent additional medical examinations and received allergy treatments until he was finally cleared for service. He went on to become an outstanding combat soldier in the Golani Brigade.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attacked the military outpost where he was stationed near Kibbutz Be'eri. Idan and his fellow soldiers fought with limited ammunition. When the terrorists set the outpost on fire, the soldiers chose to charge out rather than burn alive. They were killed in the battle, and their actions enabled the soldiers who remained inside the protected shelter to survive.
At the conclusion of her lecture, Raz stressed the importance of preserving her son's memory and also spoke about his grandmother, Batya, a Holocaust survivor, as an important part of the family's story.
The family has established the "Idan Forever" association, which commemorates his legacy by building sports facilities and athletic courts for communities across Israel, ensuring that his memory continues to inspire future generations.
