Fogel Family Itamar Martyr’s Funeral – Yom Alef, 13 March 2011

Israel heard the news at the end of the Sabbath, on Motzaei Shabat.

Thousands of Israelis came from all over Eretz Yisrael. Throughout Yerushalayim traffic was swollen by Yehudim in cars and on foot. The People of Israel were compelled toward Har Menuhot, Israel’s national cemetery from 1948 when Jews were not allowed by the Jordanians to be buried on Har HaZeitim.

Some of my old friends and family are buried there under some of the million grave stones on several hills guarding the western approach to Yerushalayim our eternal capital. A mostly silent formation of mourners walked together on the rocky paths of the streets, funneled together to honor five holy heroes,

As a psychotherapist I often observe people in crowds, observe their immediate visible situations and sometimes sense their feelings by various clues. Today I had one thing on my own heart and I sensed that we were as one. Everyone of us knew we could have been the victims instead of this wonderful family. I thought of my time in gloriously beautiful Itamar a splendid tour of Shomron with David Bedein in his last tour for international journalists assigned to cover Israel and the tumultuous Middle East.

The deceased were the Salt of the Earth who felt privileged to dwell in Itamar, a model community in our ancient Israeli reclaimed heartland. The Fogel family knew our patriarchs and matriarch, through their intimate knowledge of their lives shared living in their shared homes on the same mountains. These mountains had been in ruin for most of the last two millennia when Jews were not the power in charge here. Jews lived in this land as we could over the years even when that meant death to the Jews here.

I felt that our holy patriarchs and matriarch were there with us as our thousands filled several levels standing among thousands of graves in one more deeply sad moment of our people’s story. The speakers included some of the greatest leaders of Israel’s modern day pioneers, as in the days of the Judges. They gave eulogies, comfort, memory and promise and exhortation to our political leadership to build the Land in answer to these murders. They honored the deceased by calling on our leaders to realize Israel has no “peace partner”, as these murders and many others prove. They called on our leaders to end our national suicide accord with blod thirsty Jihad and instead to reaffirm our Zionist work of building our people’s Homeland now.

Udi’s brother and mother spoke. His brother spoke of his personal loss and reminded us that Udi was not only a semel (symbol) of our nation but he was his deeply missed brother. Udi’s mother was exceptionally strong in her gallant ability to deliver a strong message calmly and clearly spoken, without breaking down during her eulogy. There was loud weeping at times, which also took me to that place of openly weeping, as I saw others, men and women also weep in this horrible loss of five wonderful and irreplaceable souls whom we need in Itamar and in this world.

Members of the Fogel family remembered their family sharing this private moment before within our national family. Rabbis leading prayers, psalms and special blessings. It was obvious to those present that The people of Israel were of one heart in grief.

One man yelled something when a speaker was speaking. I could not hear most of what that man was trying to say over the microphone of the speaker. I could hear enough to know he was complaining that these continuing murders of Israeli will continue until our Israeli government decides to change our wrong policy. He asked when will we completely recover form the nightmare illusion of Oslo national suicide false messiah mythology. I could not see who was talking. He reminded me of our “shoutinf prophets” back in the time when Israel was blessed with real prophets when we needed them. We need now to read their words of truth to power with a prophetic conviction. I know our dead heroes lived as did our most holy prophets and gave their lives for Kidush HaShem, the Sanctification of the Name of the Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, Blessed be He.

We felt like we knew Rabbi and IDF officer Udi, his wife Ruth and their three children Yoav 11, Elad 3 and Hadas 3 munths old. These great human beings and roll model Israeli Jews were all stabbed to death in their home on Shabat, yesterday.

Missing was the hateful crowd found when terrorists are buried. That’s because Jews are not terrorists and Jews focus upon the deceased, our loss of that person and our memories of his or her lives. Israelis and Jews generally are love-based, while our murders are hate-based. I’m thankful that I am a Jew and privileged to be Israeli.

Most of the huge crowd left following the long funeral. Most mourners did not know the location on the many hills where the Fogels would be laid to rest. I stayed and searched for the location, I followed the right stream of the crowd which were aso searching for the place of burial. We found their place where their place for burial was chosen. I remained for the grave digging, burial and final blessing of the five bodies of the murdered members of the Fogel family of Itamar. I stood as near to their graves as permitted by the guards who continued to ask the crowd to step back. There were so many people over a wide area and on different levels of ground that most people were unable to here the hazan of the five kaddish said for each of the five murdered Jews. I said Amen and the rest of the mourner’s kaddish as I could hear it. The final earth and a temporary marker sign was placed over each grave.

We left and returned to our places. I returned to my home in Yerushalayim by bus and walked the rest of the way as I always do from all trips. Most people have good memories but much fades with the years. A few select memories remain strong for most of us, including personal events and vital news stories. I recall vividly where I was at hearing of the Kennedy assassination, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War and now this national funeral and our resolve to build up all of Eretz Yisrael, in honor of the Fogel family and in obedience to HaShem and His Holy Torah, BE”H.

I never met this wonderful Israeli family, but I know them well. Their lives in Itamar, Shomron showed clearly what they stood for. They lived to build us all Eretz Yisrael with ‘Am Yisrael under Torat Yisrael for love of Elohei Yisrael, HQBH. Let us as a people also all live as they did. Let us together rebuild our too long devastated Land and never retreat from our Torah in our Land path again.