Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev announced Thursday evening the final names of those selected to light torches at Israel’s upcoming Independence Day ceremony.
Among them are former NBA player Omri Casspi, Yarin Ilovich (known as Artifex) who played the last track at the Nova music festival, Inbar Ben Simon – whose husband Raz was wounded in fighting at Netzarim and returned to battle – and Dr. Eli David, whom Regev described as “one of the leading researchers in the field of AI.” David has previously criticized Israel’s hostage release deals.
The statement announcing David’s selection, who is 42, said he is “a prominent influencer who has spent the past two decades researching and applying artificial intelligence. Despite online attacks, he has become a key figure from the high-tech and AI sectors in Israel’s public diplomacy efforts during the war, thanks to his popular X account, and is one of the most influential Israeli tech entrepreneurs on social media.”
Regev said, “At a time when Israel’s right to defend itself was under a harsh assault, brave individuals like Dr. Eli David – whose usual work lies outside the field of public diplomacy – stood firmly and effectively at the frontlines. It’s no coincidence that his account is considered one of the top 100 most influential high-tech accounts on social media.”
Among the posts on Dr. David’s X account was one from January, in which he wrote that under the hostage deal, “For the first time in history, Israel is releasing terrorists in exchange for civilian hostages.” He added: “Until now, they only kidnapped soldiers, knowing only they would bring the release of terrorists. This agreement’s legacy will be future kidnappings of civilians. It’s much easier to kidnap a mother with a baby than a soldier with a weapon. This isn’t the Shalit deal – it’s far worse.”
In another post, commenting on the appointment of Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI in the U.S., David wrote: “This is what governance looks like. A president with a public mandate can appoint whoever he wants. If only we had that here.” And in yet another, regarding an incident in which Alon Hadad, partner of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, flipped off protesters calling for the release of hostages outside their Tel Aviv home, David wrote it was “a political demonstration aimed at harassment,” and concluded: “Well done, Alon! That’s how it should be.”
In addition to David, Regev also announced the selection of DJ Yarin Ilovitz (Artifex), who played the final track at the Nova festival. The announcement described him as “a representative of the large local and international community of partygoers, who survived the horrific October 7 attack – and since then has been tirelessly sharing the music of the Nova tribe, which lost many of its members in the brutal terror assault.”
Another torch will be lit by Inbar Ben Simon, wife of reservist soldier Raz, who was wounded in combat at Netzarim and returned to the battlefield. “Inbar represents the wives of reservists who maintained and nurtured the family home while their partners were called to war,” the statement said. She will light a torch alongside her husband. Minister Regev said, “Inbar’s selection expresses the nation’s gratitude to the wives of reservists, who for over a year and a half have worked to preserve the home front while their husbands serve on the front lines.”
Omri Casspi will also be among this year’s torchlighters. “He has used his prominent international standing to effectively advocate for the State of Israel,” the statement read. “Since October 7, Omri has devoted himself to Israel’s public diplomacy efforts, investing significant resources and leveraging his extensive global connections.”
