Walking into the main hall of the President's Residence, the Herzogs first greeted all the families who stood as they entered.  The President began with his remarks, "If I were required to describe all the stories and all the wonderful characters of your loved ones, I would say that this is the description of the State of Israel. The main qualities that emerge amazingly here are bravery, quality, integrity, and mission. I say to the many bereaved families we meet in this terrible war, that I cannot fix fate, I can only say a real thank you, thank you. Thank you on behalf of the whole nation. Your loved ones fell for the defense of the homeland, for the sanctification of God, the people, and the country, for the sake of a noble cause like no other. They fulfilled the commandment "and you chose life."

The return of the abducted and the abducted, something we want with all our heart to happen - also "and you chose life". You chose life doing everything to bring them home as soon as possible.

If I could talk to every bereaved family throughout the generations and say thank you, I would. I hope that after this Memorial Day, we will know less blood and bereavement and more joy and hope, and we can face any challenge, we will get through it together!"

At the end, the President thanked all those involved - the officers and men, the victims wherever they may be, all those accompanying the families, the Yad Labanim organization, and the Soldier's Commemoration Council.

The families of the fallen shared with the president and his wife the brave heroic stories of their loved ones who fell in the name of love for the homeland and protection of the people and the country. The families told about the people they were, about the friends, brothers, and children who made up their immediate environment. In addition, the president and his wife asked to hear about the difficulties and challenges the families face.

The speakers included:

Eli Tahar, the deputy chairman of the Yad Labanim organization, told of his brother, the late Lt. Col. Yossi Tahar, who was killed in a raid in Lebanon, and his two sons, Roy, and the late Yossi. Roy was killed in a car accident and Yossi fell on October 7 while fighting against terrorists in an operation in Kibbutz Kissufim. Eli spoke in tears: "Bereavement met me twice. Once in my house and once in my parents' house, I am also a bereaved brother and twice a bereaved father...They saved Jews, my brother saved the Jews in Entebbe and was killed in Lebanon in a raid against terrorists and my son Yossi saved lives at Kissufim and saved the country."

Maveshar Yehuda, the son of the late Elchanan Meir Clemenzon who fell in the hard battle in Kibbutz Berri, spoke about his father: "Beyond the story of heroism, my father was a family man who always helped, he always came to school to support me and help me as well. When we had disagreements, he was fair, if I needed help or had concerns I could call him and he would come right away, I miss him very much."

The mother of the late Mor Shakuri, a police officer Sderot who fell on October 7 in the heroic battle at the police station in the city, shared their last conversation, "Mor called me and said to me: "Mom, I'm up on the roof, let the army know that I'm on the roof with seven men, some of them are wounded and I'm out of ammunition." That was my last conversation with her. In retrospect, I am told that she was great, she saved a man who today is being treated in Tel Hashomer. The man told her of a way to roll off the roof and not be captured. Mor disagreed and told him, "You stay with me, I'll make sure you reach your children and wife" and so it was."

Efrat, the widow of the late Liran Mons Almosnino, who was killed in battle in Kibbutz Holit on October 7, shared: "If there is something that can be said about Liran and which I have been passing on to our children since October 7, their father was a hero even in his life and chose to follow his dreams. I always say that Liran "threw" all his courage to me, and with that, I continue. On the one hand, Liran was a very serious person. Work, work, work. Then he'd come home and let his girls put glitter on his nails and make him up and he was such a dad, when he was there, he was totally there. And today we miss him."

Leah Zof, the daughter of the late Chaim Alter Teichman who fell in the battle in the Yom Kippur War, and the wife of the late Shai-Aharon Zof Popovitz who fell in a car accident on his way to the reserves, talked about the Zionist heritage in her family that accompanies her to this day: "What I absorbed from grandparents, and also from my mother, and I try to pass on to the children, is the desire to continue in life, to continue the way of the fallen, to live and be happy. To stick to our country and our people - this is the will of the fallen, and in order for it not to be in vain, we simply have to do it, there is no other way."

At the conclusion, Michal Herzog thanked the families for sharing the moving memories: "Thank you for sharing with us the stories, the sadness, the challenge, but also the moments of joy. We are a small country so all our feelings and acquaintances get mixed up in an instant. We have experienced a lot of bereavement, you have paid the most expensive price of all, and some families have paid more than once. I feel like you are my family."

Also present at the meeting were the head of the Department of Families and Commemoration at the Ministry of Defense, Aryeh Moalem, the chairman of the Yad Labanim organization Eli Ben Shem, the chairman of the IDF Widows and Orphans organization Tami Shelah, the head of the Public Council for the Commemoration of the Soldier, Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef and the head of the IDF casualty department. L, Major General Reut Koren.

More than a few hugs and extra tissues were handed out for the occasional tears. With the unusually large number of young children for an official Beit Hanasi event, more than a few chocolates were distributed during the program as speakers were allowed to share their memories and stories with an attentive group without interruption.