Sivan Sekeli Ben Zichri, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bereavement officer, nearly died a month and a half ago from a torn heart artery caused by job-related stresses, The Times of Israel reported Monday.
Like many Israelis, Ben Zichri was called up following Hamas’ onslaught in southern Israel on Oct. 7 for reserve duty. She was assigned to be a bereavement officer responsible for informing families that their loved ones had been killed, as well as arranging the funerals of fallen soldiers, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘They Know I’m There’: IDF Soldier From Viral Combat Video Speaks Out)
Officer tasked with arranging constant IDF funerals nearly died after heart gave way https://t.co/iEYpFlBz5j . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) December 18, 2023
Nearly 300 soldiers were killed Oct. 7 from the surprise attack by Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.
“There were so many funerals, far more than we had previously seen,” Ben Zichri recalled. She noted that it was not possible for her to be desensitized to the scope and scale of the loss.
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Tears flowed from my eyes no matter what. It all entered my heart and I couldn’t help it,” she said, according to The Times of Israel.
The day after supervising an emotional funeral for 17 dogs, she woke up feeling unwell, the outlet noted.
“I couldn’t feel my left side, my right hand was paralyzed, and my heart felt like someone was ripping it out of my chest,” Ben Zichri said.
She went to the hospital and preliminary tests found nothing wrong with her. But when she went for imaging, she went into cardiac arrest, the outlet reported. Imaging showed that she had suffered a tear on an artery in her heart and she underwent immediate surgery to repair the damage, The Times of Israel reported.
“My heart literally broke from the psychological stress. It’s not just me saying it. My cardiologists also say that is what is happened,” she said.
Israelis have found various outlets to deal with the deadly Oct. 7 attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds kidnapped. Thousands of Israelis have turned up to the funerals of people who died on Oct. 7 that they do not personally know, the Wall Street Journal reported. “I called friends from work and I said to myself that this is the least I can do,” one mourner told the outlet while at a funeral of a person she did not know.
Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have purchased firearms for self-defense since the attack. American Jews have done the same in recent weeks. Jewish communities throughout the world have also reacted to the tragedy by putting up posters of people kidnapped in Hamas-controlled Gaza.