Hundreds Mourn Father and Son Murdered on Way to ‘Aufruf’

Family and friends had to physically support an inconsolable young bride-to-be at the funeral of her father and brother,which was attended by hundreds of people in Jerusalem on Saturday night. They were slain by terrorists while traveling Friday to attend a pre-wedding celebration with her future husband.

Rabbi Yaakov Litman, 40, and his son Netanel, 18, were shot outside of Otnielin Judea, near Hebron. Five family members who were with them in their car suffered minor wounds, including Litman’s wife; three daughters aged 5, 9 and 11; and a 16-year-old son. The family, residents of Kiryat Arba, was driving to Meitar to celebrate the aufruf (pre-wedding aliyah to the Torah) of Ariel Biegel, the groom-to-be.

Litman’s daughter, Sarah Techiya, who had stayed behind in Kiryat Arba for her own Shabbat Kallah (pre-wedding celebration), cried out at the funeral: “I wanted you at my wedding. Who will escort me to the chuppah? You were such a good father, why did you leave me?”

On Sunday, authorities announced the arrest of a terrorist near Hebron in a joint security operation between the Shin Bet security forces and the Israel Defense Forces Duvdevan counter-terrorism unit, and seized what they believe is the murder weapon, as well as the vehicle used in the attack. They said that the terrorist implicated himself in the attack during interrogation. A search continues for possible accomplices.

A Teacher of Young Children

“We were very close with the Litman family,” said Rabbi Yosef Nachshon, program director of Chabad of Kiryat Arba. “It is a small community here, and everyone knows everyone, but Yaakov Litman taught first- and second-graders in our Gan Chabad for the past six years, so he was an especially good friend. He was a man who always had a smile on his face and was very warm in nature. The children loved him.”

Malachi Levinger, the mayor of Kiryat Arba, said that “Rabbi Yaakov was one of the dedicated teachers in our city. A teacher who gave the children of Kiryat Arba/Hebron Torah and knowledge on various subjects and, above all, did everything warmly and with a constant smile that inspired a lot of good in wherever he was. Netanel was of the precious boys of Hebron who volunteered at MDA [Magen Dovid Adom ambulance service] and had a great future.”

Speaking to the mourners as the two were laid to rest in Jerusalem, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin praised the father’s work as a teacher and the teenager’s work as a volunteer for the national emergency medical service. Rivlin said there is no difference between terror attacks in Israel and those abroad, like the multiple attacks in Paris in which nearly 130 were massacred on Friday night.

“I do not distinguish between terrorism and terrorism. No terrorism is justifiable. There is no terrorism that is more justified or less justified,” said Rivlin. “The scenes of death and bloodshed we have witnessed in Paris, throughout the Middle East and here in our country should serve as a warning to us all. Whether in Paris or Hebron, Jerusalem or New York, we must fight a bitter and stubborn struggle against those who massacre innocent people—against those who murder in cold blood.”