Soldier Killed in Palestinian Terror Attack Laid to Rest

April 7, 2017

by: Roi Yanovsky

Friday, 07 March 2017 | Editor’s Note: Yesterday morning a Palestinian terrorist murdered yet another Israeli. This time the victim was 20-year-old Sargent Elchai Teharlev, a soldier in the Israel Defense Force’s Golani Brigade.

 Teharlev, who hails from Talmon, a community in Judea and Samaria, had been standing behind a bus stop nearby Ofra, north of Jerusalem, when the terrorist struck. Driving a car with Palestinian license plates, the terrorist reportedly approached the bus stop, then accelerated and hitTeharlev and another soldier standing beside him. The other soldier suffered light injuries. Teharlev died on the scene.

 The terrorist was identified as 21-year-old Malak Hamed, whose family has close ties with Hamas, the terror organization ruling the Gaza strip. Hamed was arrested on the scene.

 Teharlev is survived by his father, mother and six siblings.

 As Hamas lauded the attack and sang the praises of the terrorist, Teharlev’s family laid their son and brother to rest.

IDF soldier Sgt. Elchai Teharlev, 20, of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, was laid to rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Thursday evening after being murdered in the vehicular attack carried out earlier the same day in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria].

With tears streaming down his face, his father, Rabbi Ohad Teharlev, delivered a eulogy for his son in the presence of hundreds, including Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett.

“Elchai, Elchai, I remember your Brit Milah (circumcision); you wouldn’t (stay still). You had all the strength and you had to be held tight. You were a dear son, with a thirst for God and everything life had to offer. To melodies, and psalms… You had the soul of an artist,” he said.

“You were everything Elchai. You looked for a life in everything,” he continued, struggling to utter each word. “You had so much strength and desire. You were a boy with a generous heart. You had such a big heart. When you were young [you] grabbed candies (during a Bar-Mitzvah) in the synagogue and divided them between the children who didn’t catch them.

“You were happy with your lot. You burst out light and life. You had a smile that filled hearts. Your magic grace never left anyone without a smile.”

Elchai’s mother, Avital, also delivered an emotional eulogy. “Our love, just a month short of 21 years ago, we received a gift—the magic of a boy who had a real soul—and now we are forced to return this gift,” she began.

“It is hard to digest the terrible, incomprehensible news that you are not with us. Your glowing look and your presence made the world a better place, a happier place. I thank God for the privilege and pleasure of being your mother,” she went on.

Avital also listed the hobbies and talents with which she said her son was endowed, including music, writing, drawing and learning. “Your death is a huge loss for the family, friends, the community, the army, for the people of Israel and for the world,” she lamented.

“You pure heart touched everyone who knew you. I want to thank you for all the gifts you gave us during your time here, and I pray that we will succeed in continuing to preserve your unique spirit, even when your body is no longer with us. My boy, you have left us with a big challenge,” she concluded.

Posted on April 7, 2017

Source: (Ynetnews originally published this article on 06 April 2017. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: IDF/Facebook