IDF widow learns she’s pregnant after the shiva

Saadia Dery (left) and his widow, Racheli Orya Dery with their children (Photo: courtesy of the family)

The dreaded knock came just one day after Sergeant First Class (Res.) Saadia Dery returned to Gaza. Through the peephole, Racheli Orya Dery saw the Israeli army officers standing outside and knew her worst fears had come true.

“I screamed so much I thought I’d never stop,” the 29-year-old recalled.

Saadia, 29, was killed in a mortar attack on the front lines, leaving Racheli to care for their two young children alone. But just one day after sitting shiva for her husband, Racheli discovered she was pregnant with their third child.

“It felt like Saadia’s final gift to me,” she said. “But at the same time, I couldn’t believe he left me to face this alone.”

Overwhelmed by grief, Racheli kept her pregnancy a secret for nearly six months, rarely leaving her apartment and confiding in no one. “I didn’t look pregnant, and no one suspected anything,” she explained.

One of the first people she eventually told was Saadia’s commanding officer, Idan Siboni. Since Saadia’s death, Siboni had stepped into a supportive role, becoming one of Racheli’s few confidants. Along with soldiers from Saadia’s Alexandroni Brigade, Siboni ensured Racheli and her children were cared for, delivering groceries and organizing small celebrations, like a birthday party for the couple’s three-year-old.

“Saadia was the best friend anyone could ask for,” Siboni said. His bond with Saadia was cemented during the war when, despite the chaos, Saadia organized a Sheva Brachot ceremony for Siboni and his wife after their wedding was postponed due to the conflict.

“He reminded me that, according to tradition, a groom should be treated like a king,” Siboni recalled. A video from the event captures Saadia’s emotional words: “Your wedding is part of the rebuilding, a step toward something greater and more complete.”

Now, more than a year later, Siboni feels a deep responsibility to honor Saadia’s legacy. “Just as he was there for me and my wife, I need to be there for Racheli and her children,” he said.

* The Jewish Chronicle contributed to this article.