Or Ben Yehuda, commander of the IDF’s Caracal Battalion, did not expect to survive that morning in Sufa, a kibbutz in southern Israel bordering Egypt, on October 7.

The 35-year-old commander, a mother of three, found herself and twelve young soldiers facing an overwhelming force: Hamas terrorists from their elite Nukbah unit, approaching on motorcycles and on foot. She quickly understood the reality — they were outnumbered, outgunned, and alone.

"I knew I was going to die," Ben Yehuda recalled quietly. "I came to terms with it. I even raised my face to G-d and asked my children for forgiveness."

But her soldiers had not yet grasped the full danger. They were waiting for her, watching her face for direction. "I realized," she said, "if they saw death in my face, they would run. I had to give them hope."

Summoning everything within her, Ben Yehuda forced herself to smile — a smile that had no reason to exist. She turned to her soldiers and said with calm, almost cheerful certainty, "Terrorists are waiting for us — and we will kill them."

That smile — a choice of hope in the face of death — has since carried her through countless other moments of fear and loss.

"Tikva," she said, "hope — it’s not just strength. It’s life-saving."

Ben Yehuda’s story set the emotional tone for the Courage Conference, which unfolded Sunday, April 27, at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem (MOTJ). Organized by the Museum and Ein Prat: The Academy for Leadership — a pre-military preparatory program for Israeli high school graduates — the conference brought together educators, public leaders, bereaved families, soldiers, and terror survivors to honor the spirit of bravery, resilience, and leadership in modern Israel.

The conference, scheduled just days before Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, featured a discussion panel featuring strong mothers who endured unspeakable grief, a moving ceremony awarding certificates of courage to 77 valiant figures who led with strength during the Swords of Iron War, musical performances, and searing discussions about mutual responsibility, personal and collective resilience, and the future of Israeli society.

"This event of hope and courage is only possible because of you," said Erez Eshel, founder of the Academy, addressing the young soldiers and students gathered in the Museum’s Gordon and Leslie Diamond Family Amphitheater. "Every unit, every individual here — you are our inspiration. In a thousand years, they will write about every single one of you when they tell the story of Israel."

Eshel emphasized that their mission was not only to defend Israel but to establish it anew — to fulfill the ancient dream of a Jerusalem of unity and healing. "After 2,000 years, we are home. And it is in our hands," he said.

Larry A. Mizel, Chairman of the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, added, "We are here together, united. The Courage Conference embodies Israel's strength, unity, and hope."

Speaking directly to the bereaved families and survivors, he said, "Your presence today is not only an act of memory; it is an act of national strength. You are the soul of this gathering. We stand with you."

Mizel urged the next generation — the students, educators, soldiers, and leaders of tomorrow — to think not just about the present but about building for centuries to come.

"As we complete Israel’s 77th year, let us think not in decades, but in centuries," he said. "Our responsibility is to ensure the State of Israel’s existence for the next 177 years and beyond."

The emotional heart of the conference was the Women of Courage panel, moderated by Ofra Lacks, mother of Naveh Lacks, an Ein Prat alum who fell while defending Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.

"The State of Israel is the most optimistic country in the world," Lacks declared as she introduced the panelists, which included Ben Yehuda and Iris Chaim, another mother who had lost her son, Yotam, who was taken hostage and later accidentally killed by IDF soldiers.

The evening concluded with human rights icon and former Prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky, who awarded Certificates of Recognition to 77 individuals and families whose lives reflected the highest values of courage and resilience.

"Every one of you must feel as though you have come out of Egypt," Sharansky told them, referencing the Passover story of liberation. "When your goal is to free your soul, and you know that the State of Israel supports you, every day becomes a victory."

Among those recognized were Chana Sharabi, mother of fallen soldiers Eli and Yossi Sharabi; Rachel Edri of Ofakim, who famously charmed and distracted Hamas terrorists who had invaded her home during the October 7 attacks — saving her own life and her husband’s; Shelly Shem Tov, mother of released hostage Omer Shem Tov and a close collaborator of the Museum; as well as soldiers, bereaved parents, and survivors whose strength had become the backbone of a nation under siege.

As the sun set over Jerusalem, a sea of young adults, all wearing blue and white T-shirts, arms around each other, slowly swayed together as they sang Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva. There was no mistaking the spirit that had filled MOTJ that day.

More than a remembrance of loss, it had been a living, breathing celebration of hope — of people who had looked into the abyss and chosen, again and again, to smile, to fight, to live.