Rebecca’s Life

Rebecca Henriette Johanna Baruch, the first child of Robbert Baruch and Sacha van Tuyll van Serooskerken, and the first grandchild of her immensely proud grandparents, was welcomed into the world at Bronovo Hospital in The Hague, The Netherlands, on the afternoon of February 3rd, 1999. Her sister Margalith was born in 2001, and brother Asher followed in 2006.

The family home blended Jewish, noble and social values, traditional Friday night dinners and Jewish holiday celebrations with a rotating cast of guests, also serving as a welcoming shelter for refugees. A yearly highlight was the Pesach seder, attended by many family members and guests.

Rebecca commenced her educational path at Archipel Primary School and progressed to Gymnasium Haganum.

She celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on Parashat Yithro in January 2011. Her speech focused on the words from Jesaja 6:8:

את מי אשלח ומי ילך לנו ואומר הנני שלחני
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am; send me.”

A month later, she visited Israel for the first time.

Judo was a passion, leading her to attain a brown belt. She broke more than a few pairs of glasses playing football at Graaf Willem and found joy in reading and playing the guitar. In her final year of school, she served on the board of the progressive Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror. During this time, she embraced being the “weird idealist,” a label she proudly gave herself.

She graduated in 2017, having studied subjects such as mathematics, natural science, Greek, Latin, Philosophy, and German, even earning a “Goethe” certificate.

After graduating, Rebecca moved to Israel and enrolled in the Nachshon mechina social leadership program. Demonstrating her conviction that only taking personal action and assuming responsibility can change what one doesn’t agree with, and strengthen that what is needed, she joined the army in 2018 as a lone soldier through the Garin Tzabar program.

Following basic training, she assumed a combat intelligence position in the 727 Field Intelligence Battalion stationed in the Southern desert. Progressing to officer training and serving in the Lahav (603) battallion, Rebecca served as an officer in the 414 Field Intelligence Battalion, responsible for guarding the Gaza border. When a balloon fell on the wrong side of the border, she retrieved it before awaiting commands, or even permission. Her extended military service concluded in March 2023, retiring with the rank of lieutenant.

In civilian life, Rebecca worked as a group leader for Habonim Dror Worldwide and Onward, a teacher at the Dutch School in Israel and was active within the youth movement of Meretz. Her social and political engagement reflected her commitment to change and to create a society that upholds principles of democracy and inclusivity.

She enjoyed seeing musicals and theatre plays and meeting friends, while preparing for her entrance exam to pursue a degree in mathematics and linguistics at Tel Aviv University.

On the day of the terrorist attacks of October 7th she voluntarily reported for duty at 2:00 PM. Although called up as a reservist on the 11th, her assignment was unclear as her former unit was nearly depleted. Together with a friend, she journeyed to a northern base where their services were not required, leading them to attend a friend’s funeral on Mount Herzl before reporting for duty in the Southern Command. Here she saw the aftermath of the attack that took the lives of friends, soldiers, and officers.

On October 13th she was recruited to an Air Defence missiles unit, responsible for the ground security of the Iron Dome, where she had a role in the protection of strategic arms. She was the first and only female in the platoon.

On November 6th, a friend from Kibbutz Sa’ad, Rose Lubin, was killed.

During a break in December, she led the Habonim summer camp near Cape Town in South Africa.

Rebecca returned to Israel on January 1st and reported back to the Air Force base the following day. Emotionally and physically drained, a few days later, she fell ill; what started as a sinusitis worsened into a brain infection. Her commanding officer requested her to go home, but she declined, not wanting to leave her duty, her soldiers and her responsibilities, until she was expressly ordered to go on sick leave; she was admitted to Sheba hospital a day later, where she fell into a coma. Despite two emergency surgeries and bravely struggling for her life for over two weeks, supported by hundreds in prayers, visits and thoughts, her life could not be saved.

Final words in a letter Rebecca wrote “in case something happened”:

Let people know who I was.

Please talk and listen and sing and hear.

והעיקר לא לפחד כלל
And the main thing is to have no fear at all

היה לי זכות
It was a privilege for me

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Rebecca is survived, missed, and loved by her parents, sister Margalith, and brother Asher.