22-year old Aviyah Ganut from the settlement of Tzofim in the Samaria region was murdered at the nature rave in the south during the Gaza Perimeter massacre. She is the fifth victim counted so far from the area.
Aviyah was the oldest sibling in her family, and was mourned by father Elad, mother Yifat, sisters Aniam and Tahel, and ten year old Sinai.
Her father eulogized her thus:
“Last week in the morning, on Shabbat as we prayed, dancing with the Torah, evil came in human form and harmed you.”
“I remember how much you loved Grandma Peninah, who made it through the Holocaust in the harshest camps. What respect you gave her, and how important she was to you. We thought the images of the Holocaust were behind us, the stories of pogroms when we were in the exile, and reality struck us and the People of Israel solely because we are Jews. Your death is the death of martyrs, and father promises that the People of Israel will take revenge for you and that of your friends. God is a vengeful God, we will not rest until evil is entirely destroyed.”
“We sang in synagogue: ‘Do not fear, Israel, do not fear, for a lion cub are you.’ The time of war has come and despite our voice being the voice of Yaakov, the time has come to wear the hands of Esau. One hand digs a grave, and one hand carried a gun.”
“The lions of the People of Israel – the greatest fighters are waiting to take the vengeance of our people, your vengeance and the vengeance of your friends.”
“’Do not fear, Israel.’ The heart is broken and the spirit strong, our blood was mutilated and our unity was found. Aviyah, my beloved, my child. Today you are accompanied by all kinds of people from Israeli society of all the colors and all opinions all standing together, one man as one heart as one collective, we all believe the People of Israel are united. The enemy is not within but without. Just as you loved and connected, we will also continue to love, to unite to fight and increase good.”
Her mother Yifat eulogised her:
“My Aviyah, you were born on Shabbat eve of Pesach, and you left us on the Shabbat of Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah. You entered the world in the happiness of Shabbat, we sang ‘Lechah Dodi’ in the delivery room, and you left it in the happiness of Torah. We always said you have a high soul. We received the message of your passing on Shabbat, the Shabbat when Bereishit is read, and we are told that the world was recreated for us without you, we don’t want to start from the beginning without you.”
“Ten measures of beauty descended to the world and nine of them were taken by Aviyah. 22 and a half years I would look at you with amazement.”
“And you were not just blessed with that, my beloved (but also) internal and special beauty and goodness, wisdom, and intelligence, and maturity. This I would also view with amazement – how a girl, a young girl, such a young woman speaks to me with such maturity which took me 20 years and more to reach. I was amazed at it in every conversation of ours.”
“We need to thank you, that your soul chose us to be your parents. We tried so hard to fill those roles well and correctly. We didn’t always succeed, sometimes we truly failed, you know, our eldest. Sorry, my beautiful one, sorry for the mistakes, for the times it wasn’t enough and we didn’t know how. The truth is we tried. Thank you, my child, thank you for the time with you, when you grew with us, all of us. And you taught us how to improve. Thank you for your endless positive attitude.”
Sister Aniam:
“I cannot believe we are here, burying our oldest sister. We all have a lot to say, but I have what to tell you. I got up this morning on Simchat Torah very sick, and was about to faint. They say that siblings feel it. And since then I haven’t stopped talking about you to beg you to come back. I so loved the time with you. Our jokes about the gap between us. But on the other hand – so similar. You made sure the relationship would be maintained despite the difference in worldviews, opinions, beliefs.”
“Thank you for being there for me, we built a deep connection of sisters who understand each other at a glance.”
“The best friends. You were for me in the hardest moments, you helped me make order of my thoughts. I learned from you what simple truth is. Family and loyalty to yourself. Aviyah, there is a war and we were at the front, even if you were murdered sanctifying God’s name, for the holiness of the Land of Israel.”
“The whole People of Israel stand with us here – secularists, religious, Charedim, from small to big.”
“Aviyah, you worked in bringing people together in life and until your last moments in this world.”
“I ask you that you send us strength from above, and continue to accompany me from above like you always did. I love you truly, sister. May your memory be for a blessing.”
18 year old sister Tahel spoke of the difficult week the family underwent due to not knowing about Aviyah’s fate: “My big sister, this last week was the hardest week I had in my life. We traveled to find you in the heart of war, we travelled to identify you in all the hospitals. We did 135 hallah portions for you and read at least 22 books of Psalms. We lit candles, Torah study evenings and much hope. I had the merit to grow up as the smaller sister with you as my role model.”
