Thousands gather to mourn teenage terror victim Eliyahu Asheri

[Behind the Aegis]

Thousands of friends, relatives, residents of Itamar and well-wishers
attended the funeral Thursday in Jerusalem of Eliyahu Asheri, the 18-year-old Itamar resident who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists Sunday.

When Thursday's morning prayer service at the settlement ended, all families in Itamar received a message on their community beepers that Eliyahu's body had been discovered, making him the 14th terror victim from Itamar. Grieving residents shut themselves up at home, while counselors from Itamar and the Samaria Regional Council worked with children and youth in schools. Toward noon, hundreds of Itamar residents set out for Jerusalem to participate in Asheri's funeral procession.

The eulogies, which lasted two hours, were given in the funeral home at Sanhedria, and were punctuated by heart-rending sobs and stifled crying, mainly by Eliyahu's many teenage friends. Rabbi Neria, of the Or Etzion high-school yeshiva that Eliyahu had attended, addressed the emotional outpouring, saying that the Gemara stated that eulogies should make the crowd cry.

<<<snip>>>

Eliyahu's mother, Miriam, said that her son had risen to Heaven in a storm, "like the prophet Elijah." She addressed her son: "When you reach Heaven with the rest of the righteous, make sure to make peace between Israel and the Almighty. Stand before the Lord and first of all speak in defense of the people of Israel. Always defend the people of Israel, and ask the Almighty to acquit us."

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[unschooler]

1. Sad and tragic. They have "religious army -preparatory" programs

in Israel? Ick.

[Selatius]

2. This is why hate and revenge are not paths to peace

It will only result in more bloodshed. "An eye for an eye" is old; something new needs to be tried.