"We won. You will have children": The message I wrote to my son who fell in Gaza

Avi Harush, father of Staff Sergeant Reef Harush who fell in Gaza, writes about the court ruling that allowed the family to bring children from his seed. More than two years after the fall, he describes a victory mixed with pain, emphasizing that the children will grow up with a mother who chooses this, will not carry the bereavement on their shoulders, and will be surrounded by love.

Avi Harush, father of Staff Sergeant Reef Harush of blessed memory who fell in Gaza on April 6, 2024, describes in a personal letter the legal and emotional struggle that ended with a court ruling allowing the family to bring children into the world from Reef's seed. More than two years after the fall, the father shares feelings of victory mixed with pain, since the son for whom they fought is not here to rejoice. Harush emphasizes that the future children will not be a replacement for their son or a living monument, but will grow up with a mother who chooses this out of desire and love, and will be surrounded by a loving family. He describes the family vision where Zoey, Reef's older sister, her children, and Reef's children grow up together around a table where one chair will always remain empty. The letter touches on moral and social questions surrounding posthumous parenthood, while rejecting criticism from strangers who predetermine the fate of unborn children. Harush concludes with a quote from his son's words: "There is no substitute for continuity," and promises to tell the children about who their father was, while they are free to be themselves.