26 Israeli Children Lost Their Fathers Yesterday

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 | Israel Today Staff

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The attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood on Tuesday claimed the lives of five men - four Jewish worshippers and one Druze police officer - who in turn were fathers to a total of 26 children.

Twenty-six Israeli children have buried their fathers over the past 24 hours.

But there were signs of hope in the outpouring of love and support for these children. As an example, a local resident of Har Nof who witnessed the aftermath of the synagogue attack conveyed this story:

"I was in a small supermarket in Har Nof. The shopkeeper spoke with an employee about the names of the victims, which had just been released. At that very moment, a handsome seven-year-old boy walked into the store with his rabbi. In a husky voice, the rabbi stated the boy’s name, and the shopkeeper immediately realized this was the son of one of the slain men. The rabbi quickly and subtly signaled that the boy did not yet know what had happened.

"The shopkeeper immediately ran to the boy, holding out candy and said, ‘Here, my dear, you can have what you want - do you like it here?’

"The child smiled and said yes. Then the shopkeeper whispered to him: ‘When you want something from my store, just come here and I give it to you for nothing.’

“The boy whispered back a thank you and looked happy. His rabbi thanked the shopkeeper with a nod and they both left the store. The shopkeeper could hold back no longer and broke down into tears.”

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Wednesday, November 19, 2014