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‘A father shouldn’t have to eulogize his son’: Terror victims laid to rest

“We are no longer able to continue burying our children,” rabbi tells senior lawmaker at funeral.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Two of the victims of the terror shooting attack at a gas station near Eli were laid to rest on Tuesday evening, with the rabbi of one of the slain men levying public criticism against a lawmaker who attended the funeral.

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Harel Masoud, a 21-year-old from the central Israel town of Yad Binyamin.

“Our beautiful Harel, I can’t understand that you are not here with us. How can we talk about you in the past tense? You were just released from the army, and you finally began to fulfill your dreams,” Masoud’s mother, Yael, said.

“Just last Saturday we had the privilege of meeting. I cannot believe that this will be our last time ever seeing each other,” she added, according to a Channel 12 News report.

“We are in a state of war. It’s happening everywhere in Israel. There are people here who want to destroy us,” Masoud’s father, Gil, addressed the crowd.

“A father shouldn’t have to eulogize his son…I see your friends here and how they remember you, see their love for the Land of Israel. We are living in a nightmare,” Channel 12 quoted him as saying.

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He added that he appreciated “everyone who took the trouble to come” to the funeral.

After eulogizing Masoud, Rabbi Eliakim Zadok made a stern remark aimed at the Minister of the Negev and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Religious Zionism) who attended the funeral. Speaking to Wasserlauf, Zadok said, “We are no longer able to continue burying our children.”

Eighteen-year-old Elisha Antman, a resident of Eli, was also buried Tuesday evening.

“On your face was a smile and the special glow of a good son in the Land of Israel,” said Binyamin Regional Council Chairman Israel Gantz of Antman.

“Your face told us to continue, to act, to grow despite the enormous pain. In the meeting with your parents, who are in hell, we saw your deep roots, roots of faith and strength and they are the source of our strength.”

Antman’s funeral was also attended by hundreds of people.

“We sat in the hummus place where you worked, where you were murdered. It was after a busy day, you had just finished your shift. We talked for maybe an hour, about life,” wrote Antman’s friend Yedidia Grossman in a tribute post on his Twitter account.

“You were a good friend, caring, thorough, and the best at whatever you did. I love you Elisha. I never thought I would write these words, but it happened.”