Hamas War

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

The Funeral of the Three Murdered Israeli Jewish Teenagers, I Was There

There must have had been hundred of thousands of people who attended the funeral of the three murdered teenagers, because I was there and the mobs of people extended so far and wide, and the number of buses and private vehicles was larger than anyone could count. We had to walk miles, not just kilometers (which is a shorter distance) to go from where the bus dropped us off and then waited until we found it, until we got to a place where we could barely hear the loudspeakers amplifying what was happening around the graves.

So many people of all ages were there, even though it was a rough hike at times to just arrive near the cemetery.


It was a youth movement hike without the singing.



People made every effort, though the weather, even late afternoon was brutal.


We finally reached a point where we could hear the loudspeakers but couldn't see anything but crowds of people in all directions. That's where we stopped.







Many people felt ill from the heat, and although we had seen lots of ambulances and motorcycle first aid vehicles, help came from people nearby passing along water and juice.

The crowd was quiet, sad and emotionally exhausted after the long two and half weeks of searching, praying and hope. Everyone was in pain. You didn't need to know the boys or their families. The murderous attack was random though well-planned. It could have happened to anyone.



Walking back to find the buses afterwards, groups of men stopped and said the Mincha, afternoon prayer in minyan, quorums of the required ten or more. Our Shiloh bus took so long to fill that the men even called a Ma'ariv, Evening Prayer.

We arrived home very, very late.

HaMakom yinachem...
May G-d comfort the mourners...

And may G-d give wisdom to the politicians in government who are supposed to be leading us. May they make the right decisions. We must defeat Arab terrorism or these scenes will just keep on repeating themselves! We cannot make peace with terrorists who are out to destroy and murder us!!!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you.... Batya Medad... These pictures tell of the love of the Jewish people for one another is very evident... This is all so heart wrenching ... but if everything is found in the Torah, the answer is certainly in there as well...The Torah... and HaShem will direct you all...

Thank you for connecting all of us with all of you... we feel your loss...

Anonymous said...

Unfortunatly it wasn't an event shared by all Am Israel. Despite the Tel Aviv rally and the tefilot by Kotel, there was almost no secular people there, and maybe 3 or 5% of black yarmulkes... It was sad to see that only "srugim" were concerned...

Batya said...

a1, maybe in a sense you answered a2. not everyone in crocheted kippot may have been religious, and not all the women were dressed in the dati le'umi mode. But even if it's true that a small percentage of the attendees at the funeral weren't dati le'umi, I think it's important to be impressed by the numbers and the potential political power we have.

Anonymous said...

Jews around the world also felt like part of the crowds at the levaya, including many if not most Haredim. Here in London many Haredi shuls said Tehillim before or after every service. We all had in mind the three B'nei Torah and their families. Joe, in Golders Green

Batya said...

Thanks for your good wishes. Appreciated

Anonymous said...

Honestly, how would you know there were no secular people there? Even the secular would wear a kippah to a funeral. Let's try to keep the achdut going just a bit longer, please, especially now with the Arabs going crazy all around us.

Esther Revivo said...

I agree that we shouldn't make judgements about who was at the funeral. Batya is a dear friend and knows I live in a Charedi neighborhood. Women here said many books of Tehillim and took on many mitvot for their zechut. ALL of those who heard about the boys murders were horrified and many cried. The fact they didn't come to the funeral doesn't mean a thing as far as I'm concerned. Many will not participate in any function that is NOT totally separate (Men from women.)

I DID go to all of the demonstrations with my husband's blessings before the expulsion from the Gush, but I too do not usually go to mixed demonstrations of any kind. So let's be 'Dan lekaf zechut.' and try to keep the achdut ongoing!!

I teach at an Ulpana and do not call myself either Charedit nor Datit Leumit. I just try to be a good yid with Ahavat Yisrael!!!

Anonymous said...

i am ot orthodox but I believe in G-d - I sat all day yesterday in grief, I couldn't eat or move. I saw part of the funeral on CNN and on the online media. It is so unfair to be judging others right now. we are all Jews and we had better get over the divisiveness if we are to conquer our enemies. Shalom

PS my daughter stands duty in a dangerous part of Israel- she too is not hared or religious, but she loves Israel with all her heart.

Batya said...

I hate the labels.

Esther Revivo said...

So do I Batya, but society here insists on them! It's like the children's toy where you are either a square, circle, rectangle, etc. When asked on surveys to identify myself as 'Charedit or Datit Leumit' I say 'Datit' PERIOD.Hashem ya'azor.

Batya said...

There were plenty of secular people at the funeral, but in the heat nobody knew what purpose the hats served.
Personally I see myself as a Jew and not an adjective or label.

Anonymous said...

I hate labels, also, Batya. I can say for myself that I felt a part of the crowd (from L.A.), even though I wasn't physically there.

Our Jewish community davened, and are still davening. We held special services, and gatherings. I for one, have been, and am doing so throughout the hours.

My heart is filled with the void of loss. When one life is lost, it is as if our entire community has lost a life. In this case...three lives.
-Lorri

Batya said...

Lorri, no surprise...
Even though I was "there" all I saw were people, not the actual funeral, graves etc.