Corporal Noa Marciano

Daughter of Adi and Avi

Sister of Yuval (17) , Hadar (14), and Itay (10)

Noa was born in Modi'in on October 12, 2004. She is the eldest daughter of Adi, a medical secretary, and of Avi , an Israel Railways employee.
Noa grew up in Modi'in and attended the Ilan Ramon state elementary school and at the 3rd Mota Gur high school. She majored in geography and cyber technologies.
Noa was a person of values ​​and was highly involved in the community. She volunteered as a youth instructor in the Shelach agricultural youth movement.
Noa was mature and sensitive, and was known for her love to people and for her country. Her family described this aspect of her character in the following words: "Noa's life was a tapestry woven with devotion, love and a deep connection to her roots. The location of Modi'in provided Noa with a setting that gave her deep inspiration and solid foundations for values ​​and love for the country's trails, and from a young age she embodied this spirit. She adored the trails of Israel, walked the length and breadth of the land, inhaled the smells of the earth and touched the stones that told stories of thousands of years.
Noa's volunteer work was recognized and appreciated. She received a certificate of appreciation for her social involvement and a scholarship from the Mayor of Modi'in, Mr. Haim Bibbas.

Noa couldn't wait to enlist in the IDF and was excited when the day has finally come. She enlisted on April 16, 2023 and from the first moment she enjoyed her military service. She saw every experience in the bootcamp as an empowering challenge and created new friendships during the course. Although she had difficulties, she chose to deal with them with humor. For example, she gave an affectionate nickname to her service weapon she had to carry at all times and the chair she was sitting on and broke under her became the daily joke in the course.
After the internship, Noa was assigned to a field observer course and upon its completion, she was assigned to the Nahal Oz outpost. Noa took on the role seriously and with commitment. At the same time, she enjoyed the service conditions very much. She used to go with her best friends from the camp to the kibbutz pool. The kibbutz members were warm and grateful towards her and her friends and she felt like a member of the kibbutz.
Noa had plans to advance and develop in the army, to go on a command course in November 2023 and start an officer course in January 2024.

On that "Black Sabbath" on October 7, 2023, Noa was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz outpost by terrorists and taken to a hideout apartment near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza. During the IDF attacks in the area, a Hamas terrorist who was keeping her captive was killed by IDF soldiers and Noa was injured, but her injury was not life-threatening. Noa was evacuated by the terrorists to Shifa Hospital where she was murdered. An IDF force located her body outside the hospital and rescued her to Israel.

Noa left behind a rare treasure, personal diaries she wrote that reveal a window into an inner, sensitive and mature world that expresses exemplary values ​​and love. In one of the diaries she described her plan to promote "strength notes" in the observation course. By that she meant that each female soldier would discreetly write an empowering note to a friend every day that would randomly pull out her name.
Another treasure that Noa left behind is her "gratitude notebook" in which she wrote words of thanks for the good things that happened to her in her daily life. The "gratitude notebook" written by the late Avinoam David Cohen, a commander in the artillery corps who fell in 2017. Below is a moving passage that Noa wrote in that notebook:
"I am graateful for being able to be happy and make others happy,
I am grateful for the amazing friends I've met and will meet along the way,
I am grateful for the optimism.
I am grateful for finishing with the shooting ranges,
I am grateful for the laugh,
I am grateful for the bootcamp,
I am grateful for making it through the run almost unscathed,
I am grateful for Idan, Julie, Eden, Mika, Ron and Shani,
I am grateful for being able to continue learning,
I am grateful for knowing my country deeply.

On December 22, 2023, a ceremony was held to name a street after Noa near her place of residence in the city of Modi'in. The ceremony was held in the presence of her family members, friends, Mayor Haim Bibbs, council members and many residents.
https://www.modiin.muni.il/modiinwebsite/ChannelArticleNews.aspx?PageID=2_295&id=11193

Roy Yom Tov, a close friend of Noa, wrote and composed a song called "Noa's Smile". He sang this song in her memory while playing the guitar. His friends Shani, May and Kim provided the backing vocals. The lyrics come to a stop and signed by Roy's silence and in the inscription of the words that Noa used to say: "Smile like there is no tomorrow". Watch the performance of this song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgNUU93WJ0Q&list=RDtgNUU93WJ0Q&start_radio=1&t=2s.
Bellow are the lyrics:

Where are you today, I ask and can't find an answer,
Hope there's someone there, hugging you back,
I write to you two or three times a day,
with a frequency that liberates but does not depress.

How can one not think about that smile every second,
not to think about that face, that laughter, that affection,
about the way you call me idiot,
then hug me, makes it clear that it's just a joke.

I love you, have I told you that enough?
I think of you, of your ability to understand,
understand my flaws, my wounds,
and all the forgiveness, that you know how to contain.

Even the devil won't take your smile,
I believe you know I'm here with you,
I'm here to hug and listen,
Scream and run away, cry and forget.

I think everyone here can agree,
you're the kind of person who never leaves,
your charm, maturity and essence,
Shall remain with you only after the storm.

I don't think I understood the magnitude of this ordeal,
You are so much in my heart, in the depths of my soul,
You saw all my prayers up close,
And in all my successes you were there to love.

You know the transition, you know everything,
And all you wanted was to love to the fullest,
loving your family, friends,
and take care of everyone around you.

Hope there's someone out there hugging you back,
I don't think I understood the magnitude of this ordeal,
Even the devil won't take your smile,
I believe you know I'm here with you.

Smile like there's no tomorrow.

This commemorative page was compiled using materials published in the YNET article and "Laisha" magazine:
https://www.ynet.co.il/laisha/article/r1zqumtba