Talmon, West Bank – Bat-Galim Shaer eulogized her son Gilad on Monday during a ceremony in their hometown of Talmon ahead of a massive funeral for the three murdered youths.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“I sit in your room and I can’t accept that our worst nightmare came true,” she said.
Over 1,000 were present, Gilad’s sister Shirel recalled “the arguments when I tried to wake you up, but even when you got upset you did it respectfully.”
“May you be the last on the list. Gilad I’ll always remember you,” concluded the young sister tearfully.
Gilad’s father Ofir then spoke, saying “I sit in your room, I look at your bar mitzvah photo album, and refuse to digest it.”
“How can your life be concentrated into a few words,” remarked the bereaved father, adding “great strength was required from me and your mother, which we drew on from the nation of Israel.”
Ofir spoke about how he used to hold his talit (prayer shawl) over himself and Gilad during birkat hakohanim (the priestly blessing) in the prayer services, as is custom, at which point he choked up and was joined by his wife.
Gathering strength, Ofir praised his son, as well as Eyal and Naftali over how they unified the nation, hailing him as “a hero of Israel while still in your youth.”
Finance Minister Yair Lapid eulogized Gilad Shaer, “We aren’t burying a settler, this isn’t a loss for just one sector or another but for all of Israel,” Lapid said. “I understand the desire for revenge, but what we need now is love, togetherness.”
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon eulogized slain Israeli teen Eyal Yifrah at his funeral ceremony in Elad on Tuesday, saying that the three boys “were murdered just because they were Jewish.”
Eyal’s tearful father Uri spoke in Elad, noting that his son “had a special love for all people.”
Addressing his murdered son, Uri said “you mother said you’d whisper in G-d’s ear, ask him to give us strength. It will be hard without you, we need strength, ask him to give us strength. You are holy, you were holy in your life; you gave strength to so many people, now give us strength here at home.”
“Our tears are just because we’re human, we have hearts of lfesh and blood, we love people and we have love, we have love and it will win,” said Uri. Addressing the terrorist murderers, the bereaved father added “you scoundrels, your day will come.”
Eyal’s brother Asaf spoke, addressing his murdered brother and saying “I remember you wanted to sit with me and Elhanan, all the family, to sit and talk and play guitar.”
“G-d willing we’ll do it next week, I believe you’ll be with us,” stated Asaf.
Assaf added “you’re a tzadik (righteous person), you were born in (the Jewish month of) Tamuz and you were taken in Tamuz,” referencing the Jewish tradition that the righteous pass away the same month they were born in.
In Sha’alvim, the hometown of the Frenkel family located near Modi’in, Naftali’s father Avraham spoke, praising his son and the other two terror victims for paving the way for us to learn to be better people.
Remarking on Naftali’s grandfather Ya’akov, who Naftali was named after in his middle name, Avraham recalled how he told him at his own bar mitzvah to be a good person and a good Jew. He honored his son for having lived up to his grandfather’s words.
“Mom and me and the rest of the family, we don’t forget not even for a moment, you’re our child, and you always will be, rest in peace my dear son,” concluded the bereaved father.
Naftali’s mother Racheli then spoke up, condemning the terrorists who murdered her son as being out on a “hunting drive.”
She praised her son and the other two teens as being “poster children” to show the heights of human nature in a complete opposite to the depraved murderers.
“From the first day, we told ourselves that even if it ends badly, G-d has rewarded us,” said Racheli, noting their strong and caring family, and wonderful community.
“Rest in peace my child. We’ll learn to sing without you. Your voice will also be heard in our souls,” eulogized Naftali’s mother.
Aviezri Frenkel, Naftali’s Frenkel, addressed the government in his eulogy, calling on it to take a strategic and not a tactical move in responding to the terrorism with a hard hand.
“We need to let our neighbors and enemies know we are here to stay,” emphasized Aviezri.
{NewsPhotosEmbed 937528576}
What we need more tearful Gulf States and Arab families. Gulf States and Saudi Arabia are buying massive weapons from Germany and funding ISIS and Al Quaida. We are buying oil from them so they have more money to fund murder
May Hashem comfort them amongst the mourners of Zion.
Nebach, Nebach,Nebach.
עיני עיני ירדה מים….
Perhaps more important than any single reprisal attack against the terrorists would be a definitive policy statement by the government regarding “NO MORE SHALIT EXCHANGES”. Was it really worth the bargain with the devil that was struck in response to the political extortion by the Shalit family and their supporters to release one captive in exchange for over a thousand terrorists. The Shalit precedent placed a blood ransom over the head of every Isreaeli boy and girl in the minds of terrorists who felt that each kidnapping would bring more prisoner releases. A clear rejection of the Shalit exchange policy would not help these three kadoshim but might save more lives in the future.
Every yeshiva boy, indeed and girl, needs training with firearms and access to them in areas where terrorists lurk. What strikes me is that there were only 2 terrorists and 3 yeshiva boys, but a gun speaks loudly. In these times of crisis where Jews are targeted, we need as much arms as possible, and age 16 may be the right age to train.
Hashem Yerachem