Fallen IDF soldier Banai defied deaf parents to join combat unit
posted in Current Affairs, Deaf, Hearing Loss |Another brave Israeli soldier killed. This one is different - his parents are deaf.
At first glance, the hundreds of mourners gathered at the Ashkelon military cemetery Sunday for the funeral of Israel Defense Forces Staff Sergeant Liran Banai seemed to display both agility and morbid curiosity as they climbed every available surface in a scramble to get a good view of the proceedings next to the freshly dug grave. But then the reason became clear: Many of the mourners were deaf. They came to the funeral in a show of solidarity with Banai’s parents, Guy and Gila, both of whom are deaf, and wanted to find a spot from which they could read the lips of the eulogizers. Due to the mass of mourners in attendance, however, few succeeded.
Here’s more details of Liran Banai. He didn’t have to serve in combat because he has deaf parents, but he wanted to.