The reason I named this post about Yoni Netanyahu “Follow Me!” was because it’s the name of the documentary on his life that premiered earlier tonight at the New York Jewish Film Festival.
The reason the movie took that name is because “Follow Me!” (“Acharai!” in Hebrew) is embedded in the ethos of the IDF officer – to lead his men into battle from the front and not from behind. In particular, it is a hallowed tradition (and part of the slogan) of the Tzanchanim – the Paratroopers.
Today in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Tzanchanim celebrated another part of their unit’s proud history – liberating the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordanian hands, during the 1967 Six Day War – by marching proudly through the Ir Ha’atika.
Jewish pride in Jerusalem: 90 recruits of the paratroopers marched on Thursday evening through Jerusalem’s Old City.
The recruits, who were waving their unit’s flag during the march, sang “Am Yisrael Chai” and Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah”.
The young soldiers made stops in the City of David and the Mount of Olives. Their final stop was the Western Wall.
