In the special Zikaron “Bikrovai Ekadesh” broadcast on Kol Chai on Tuesday, Yom HaZikaron for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, host Yisrael Meir spoke with the twin brother of Reb Altar Yisrael Matzner, H’YD, a 31-year-old avreich who was killed on his way to the Beis Medrash in the Ramot terror attack in September 2025.

Yisrael, z’l, left behind his wife and three children, with his fourth son—named after him—born just a month after his murder.

“He was murdered with his Gemaras; he always walked around with two Gemaras,” his twin brother, Chaim Matzner, said. “One Gemara of Masechtas Rosh Hashanah for the month of Elul, and a second Masechta he was learning in kollel.”

Chaim described his brother as an extraordinary masmid who never wasted a moment and someone who lived with a constant sense of mission. “He was hardworking and tireless. Already from school age, he would return home, go to the shul, and stand and learn for hours every day.

“He was always striving toward a new goal. One question was always on his mind: ‘What does it mean to live? How do I fulfill myself and become what I am meant to be?’”

Alongside his dedication to Torah, Yisrael was a devoted father who invested all his energy in raising and loving his children. “He would wake up at six in the morning to play with them—he saw it as a supreme value and responsibility,” his brother said wistfully.

Yisrael’s image, immortalized in the well-known photo of him at the shtender in the Beis Medrash, left a deep impression on all who saw it. “You could see his gentleness and nobility on his face. He was such a beloved and special person—without a trace of cynicism, simply a genuine person.”

At the end of the emotional conversation, Chaim tried to distill the message his brother left behind for Klal Yisrael. “Yisrael’s message was to stay connected to yourself and always search for ways to grow. He approached life not as something to be taken for granted, but as something that must be built and developed at every moment.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)