Jerusalem – Father Of Abducted Israeli Boy Speaks Out

Jerusalem – Many have heard the mothers’ heartfelt cries for the return of their three boys who were kidnapped on June 12 in the West Bank, but the fathers have been for the most part silent, until now.

Ophir Shaer, 43, the father of Gil-ad Shaer, speaks out in an interview with Israel Hayom (http://bit.ly/1lVyKOC) and describes the heartache felt by all for the missing sons.

An Israel Hayom reporter and friend of the Shaer family accompanied Ophir and Bat-Galim Shaer on a trip to the Knesset, and talked with Ophir about the difficulty of the last two weeks.

The mothers – Naftali Frenkel’s mother, Rachel and Eyal Yifrach’s mother, Iris – along with Bat-Galim, have been the focal point of reports, and they are supported by their husbands Avi, Uri and Ophir.

Ophir says his strength comes from his 16-year-old son, Gil-ad, and learning about how he has affected those around him in a positive way and hearing stories from Gil-ad’s friends. He also draws strength from his wife, and vice versa. “I don’t feel overshadowed by Bat-Galim. We have a complementary relationship. There is strength in silence as well. I give her strength when she cries, and she gives me strength at other times. Men cry too.”

Ophir and Bat-Galim’s only son out of six children was accepted by the Makor Chaim yeshiva in Kfar Etzion, a religious seminary that is considered a very prestigious school in the religious public. Ophir says when Gil-ad first left for school it was difficult. Gil-ad was homesick but later fell into place and said he felt “empowered” by the school.

A car ride from Talmon to Kfar Etzion takes one hour and 15 minutes, but four-five hours by bus, which aren’t readily available on a daily basis. Ophir says at first they forbade hitchhiking to school and would drive Gil-ad or he would ride with other students. And as what usually happens between teenagers and parents anywhere, differences arose about Gil-ad’s independence and worried parents. They discussed how to hitchhike responsibly.

“Today it is clear to us that this could have happened to him anywhere else,” says Ophir. “In our reality, when you live in a remote hole and study in a different remote hole, you can’t tell a child, ‘Don’t hitchhike.’ We preferred knowing. Gil-ad always told us where he was. He sent us updates from every intersection. If his mobile phone battery ran out, he would ask someone on the street if he could use his phone and send a text message so we wouldn’t worry.”

When Ophir and Gat-Balim did not receive a text from Gil-ad on June 12, they started to worry. At 1:30 a.m., they drove along the road he would have taken to get home to look for him when calls to his phone went straight to voicemail. When they did not find him, they went to the police station at 3 a.m. They were told by police that at 4 a.m. the last cell signal from Gil-ad’s phone was from Hebron, a Palestinian city located in the in the southern West Bank.

Guests from all over have traveled to the Shaer’s home to offer prayers, assistance or emotional support over the last two weeks. Ophir says hosting can be “exhausting” at times, but more than fearing the guests is the fear of silence they will hear when they leave.

When asked what is the first thing Ophir would like to do with Gil-ad when he returns home, Ophir says mountain biking. It has been his dream to take his son mountain biking for months, but says he will plan a trip as soon as his son returns.