The family of IDF officer 2nd Lieut. Becky Maman came to Israel from Canada to celebrate her graduation ceremony from Officers’ Course yesterday at Training Base No. 1. The family arrived here two weeks ago in order to complete their period of isolation required to be present at the ceremony and to celebrate with Rebecca (Becky), after a year of not seeing each other. However, the restrictions on visiting IDF bases because of the coronavirus pandemic prevented the Maman family from attending the ceremony and like the other families of the new officers, they had to watch from afar.
This week, the president’s office received a request from Becky’s commanding officer in the Karakal Brigade, telling the president of the disappointment and about the family reunion that was postponed. The president asked to invite Becky and her family to his office, where they met for the first time in a year. During the ceremony at Training Base No. 1 yesterday, the president uncovered Becky’s new badges of rank, as an outstanding soldier, and promised her that the family reunion would be held at Beit HaNasi.
On Thursday morning, 2nd Lieut. Becky and her family met for the first time in an emotional meeting hosted by the president. During the meeting, her parents Gidi and Monica spoke about how proud they are of their daughter. “She has been a big fighter since she was born. As one of a set of triplets, she was born small and weak, but she never let anyone feel that she wasn’t able or less successful, and she has always done her best. We are very proud of her.” Becky’s mother said, with tears in her eyes, that it was a shame her grandmother and grandfather, Holocaust survivors, were not there to see their granddaughter make her dream come true. “She is our guiding light and I have no doubt that we will come here to follow her.”
The president congratulated the family on the wonderful daughter they have brought up, saying “I can already see what a fighter she is, no doubt. But even combat soldiers are emotional after many months of not seeing their parents, and a year or not seeing their sisters. We are so happy that here is the place where you are meeting. You could not come to the graduation ceremony yesterday because of the restrictions, so we see this as additional recognition of a soldier who is among the very best of the IDF’s people.”
Becky left her parents, her older sister and the other two triplets in Toronto to serve in the IDF as a combat soldier in the Karakal Brigade and has not seen them for a year. After she finished basic training and commanders’ course as an outstanding soldier, she decided to go to Officers’ Course and be a platoon commander at the Karakal training base. Yesterday, Becky received her badges of rank as an officer as an outstanding soldier.
Becky concluded the meeting with a bashful smile, thanking her commanders in Hebrew for helping her to reach this point and to the president for hosting her and her family.