Parents of murdered Jewish teen name new baby

The Schnerbs did not want to name the newborn after Rina because they say their daughter’s soul is still present with them.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

The parents of murdered teen Rina Schnerb, who was killed on a hike last summer by a bomb planted by Palestinian terrorists, named their newborn baby girl Tiferet this week.

“The new baby symbolizes life and victory over the forces of evil, which attempt to destroy us in every generation,” Rabbi Eitan Schnerb said.

Rabbi Schnerb acknowledged the symbolism behind their new baby’s birth happening between Holocaust Memorial Day and  the Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen in battle and to terror, as both he and his wife had family members who survived the Holocaust, and are still mourning the death of their 17-year-old daughter.

Although the Ashkenazic Jewish custom is to name children after deceased relatives, both to perpetuate the name and in the hope that the infant will inherit the relative’s special qualities, Rabbi Schnerb said they did not want to name the baby after Rina because their daughter’s soul is still present with them.

On August 23, 2019, Rina was killed by a bomb planted by Palestinian terrorists while hiking near a spring named in memory of terror victim Dani Gonen, who was murdered there by Arab terrorists in 2015.

In late September, the IDF captured the three terrorists responsible for the attack. Samer Mina Salim Arbid, 44, was the one who set up and activated the bomb that killed Rina. Kassem Shabli, 25, provided the explosives and assisted in the assembly of the bomb, and Yazen Hassin Hassni Mjames, 25, took part in the logistics and execution of the detonation.

Rabbi Eitan ShnerbRina Schnerb