Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Sunday, Jul. 03 '16, Sivan 27, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. TERROR STRICKEN FAMILY'S HEARTBREAKING FAREWELL TO SLAIN FATHER
2. RIVLIN: I ONLY DISCOVERED YOUR GREATNESS AFTER YOU DIED
3. 'HEROIC FATHER OF MINE, BELOVED FATHER OF MINE'
4. ARMY ARRESTS SISTER OF HALLEL ARIEL'S KILLER
5. MOTHER PLEADS: DON'T LET ME BECOME THE NEXT ESTI WEINSTEIN
6. CABINET STORM: LIBERMAN TELLS IDF OFFICERS NOT TO ANSWER BENNETT
7. ELIE WIESEL HANGS A MEZUZAH - NEXT TO MICHAEL MARK
8. BEREAVED CHILDREN CALL ON PUBLIC TO JOIN IN FATHER'S FUNERAL
1. TERROR STRICKEN FAMILY'S HEARTBREAKING FAREWELL TO SLAIN FATHER
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2016764]
Family and friends of Michael "Miki' Mark paid their last respects as mourners gathered in the Otniel Hesder Yeshiva Sunday morning.
Excerpts from the eulogy of Orit, Mark's daughter:
"My beloved father, I can't believe we're parting. Just a moment ago we were at a different funeral together, and you held me and said that you'll never leave, but now God has taken you. We know why. You always told us that our Father in heaven takes the good ones, and your the best in the world"
"You gave so much to others, you accepted us who we are. Ask God to have mercy on us. You and mom are the best parents in the world. Look at us down here, we are so broken, but yet so strong, and all because of what you taught us. Thank you for everything, thank you for rebuking me when I did things that are wrong, and showing me the right path. Look at your family, Dad, and be proud. You should be so proud for having built such a family, where each one of us has our own unique strengths."
"We will continue your legacy, father, with the amazing faith and strength that you instilled in us."
One of Mark's sons eulogized:
"When I pray, I talk about my Father in heaven and my father down here. Now it's father in heaven and father in heaven also. You were a man of so many kind deeds. You helped so many people but always quietly, you made sure that no one knew how much you did to help others."
"With all that you did, with all the responsibilities you had, you never let that take you away from studying Torah. How you loved to study Torah. Everything you did was for the Torah, and for the sanctification of God's name."
Mark, a father of 10 from Otniel, was fatally wounded by terrorists in a drive-by shooting on Route 60 south of Hevron.
Mark's wife Chavi was severely injured in the attack, while two of the couple's 10 children also suffered injuries.
The funeral procession, which departed from Otniel towards Jerusalem's Har HaMenuchot cemetery Sunday afternoon, gathered for eulogies in the town yeshiva.
Mark's children fought off tears as they spoke of their father, while President Reuven Rivlin, a distant relative of Mark, described him as an "honest and humble man who always gave of himself."
2. RIVLIN: I ONLY DISCOVERED YOUR GREATNESS AFTER YOU DIED
by Ari Soffer
[youtube:2016767]
Video: Crowd sings as funeral begins
Thousands gathered Sunday morning for the funeral of Michael "Miki" Mark, the 48-year-old father of 10 who was murdered in a drive-by shooting on Friday.
The funeral procession began in the town of Otniel, south of Hevron in Judea, where Mark lived, before making its way to Jerusalem's Har HaMenuchot cemetery.
Dozens of rabbis and students from yeshivas in the area, as well as MKs, and government ministers heard eulogies for Mark, including an address by President Reuven Rivlin.
Rivlin, a distant relative of Mark, noted with regret that he knew little of the man prior to his murder.
"We are relatives, but I learned more about you after your death. You were a family man, someone who liked to work with his hands, and a man of letters," eulogized Rivlin, saying Mark was "honest and humble, [someone who] gave of himself".
Rabbi Binyamin Kelmanson, Mark's brother-in-law and head of the Otniel Yeshiva, recalled Mark's tireless efforts to help those in need.
"You [Michael Mark] were the solid foundation of support for so many people in rehabilitation. You threw yourself in to helping people in such an extreme way that sometimes I would have to get ahold of you and say 'Miki, you have 10 children.' There are many people who till today think that Miki was rich. He wasn't."
"One person you [Miki] helped so he wouldn't go bankrupt, another so he wouldn't have to beg. Miki helped many people here build their houses. Who will help us all now?"
"Miki wanted to learn Torah quietly, and to do good deeds. Who gets up every day while it's still dark out? Who then learns with his wife every morning at 5 a.m.? He only wanted to spread Torah to people. I don't know how you managed to do all this without ever fighting with anyone."
Rabbi Kelmanson added with a touch of bitter irony, that Mark gave assistance to everyone around him, including Arabs he encountered near his home in Otniel.
"Ironically, you will also be missed by the members of the nation your murderers came from, you will be missed by our neighbors whom you helped so much. We will still try to maintain good relations with our neighbors, and we will continue to meet with them."
"But," Kelmanson added, addressing Judea's Arab population, "know this, that if you do not strike down the arms of the murderers, it will hurt you."
Rabbi Kelmanson also warned the government that its continued failure to prevent terror attacks like Friday's drive-by shooting could lead to frustrated young Jews taking the law into their own hands.
"Mr. President, no one from this town chose the path of terror, and we thank our [Arab] cousins who pulled out our remaining family members [from the car]. [But] if the government doesn't fight terror and give a sense of security, weak and fearful people are liable to become bad seeds, and commit terrible acts. Not everyone has the strength of the community of Otniel."
Terrorists fired some 20 bullets in the attack, killing Michael Mark and severely wounding his wife Chava, who is still currently in intensive care.
The couple's younger daughter and son - aged 15 and 14 - were also in the car at the time. Their daughter was shot and moderately wounded, while their son was lightly injured as the car flipped over after his father lost control.
On Sunday morning their children issued a moving plea to the Israeli public to attend the funeral and show their support and solidarity.
Mark's murder came just a day after another deadly attack, in which 13-year-old Hallel-Yaffa Ariel was murdered in her home in nearby Kiryat Arba.
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3. 'HEROIC FATHER OF MINE, BELOVED FATHER OF MINE'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Orit Mark, the daughter of Michael Mark who was murdered in Friday's terror attack in Har Hevron, wrote a Facebook post about her father, and her feelings at this tragic time.
"Heroic father of mine, who could've believed that you wouldn't be with us anymore today, who knew that you were next in line... what's happening here is just not to be believed.
"Righteous father, how did God take you to him, we wanted you here close to us. But He also wanted you close to Him."
Orit reflects on her father's legacy to his family and the Jewish nation as a whole, and recalls a loving interaction with her father shortly before he was murdered.
"Beloved father... how you are missed here, how we hurt... but we're strong dad, be proud of us, look at us from on high, you taught us to be strong, not to let go, and you taught us that though it's alright to cry and fall sometimes, you have to get up.
"Father how happy I am that I had time to read you the poem that I'd just finished writing. I saw a tear in your eye, you were so moved by the poem, and you told me how amazing I am, giving me a big daddy hug, and I told you that it was all in your merit, that without you and mom I would never have become what I am today.
"My beloved father, It still hasn't sunk in that you're not here with us...it just won't sink in, the tears never stop flowing.
"But we are strong, dad, and your beloved nation is always with us... and because of all the good brought into the world, it's all coming back around to us.
"Father, who can believe that we're parting with you today. I can't really believe it, you always found a solution for everything. You were so good and talented, it isn't possible that you're not here anymore."
Orit continued by asking her father to be an influence from on high, and to pray for the health of the other members of the family wounded in the attack. Her mother, Chavah, who was seriously wounded, her sister, and her brother, who saw his own father die.
"Beloved father, please pray for our mother, whom you loved so much. Pray that she'll make a full recovery. Pray for our sister, that her stomach will be OK, and that she won't collapse from this horrific trauma. Pray for our brother too, father, it's hard for him, he's our hero, he saw everything, he remembers everything... and it burns his little beautiful heart. Look down on us and see how strong we are! God gives us so much strength and doesn't leave us for a moment.
"Father, we always talked about how God takes the best, so here, our worst fears have come true."
The grieving daughter ended with a call for the entire nation to learn from her father's life and good deeds, so that his legacy will endure.
"To the Jewish people: My father was a great man, we'd be happy for you to come and comfort us in our great pain, and each person should take something that he heard about my father, and take it with him, so that the world will become a better place. Our father in heaven loves us."
4. ARMY ARRESTS SISTER OF HALLEL ARIEL'S KILLER
by Ari Soffer
[video:2016749]
IDF forces on Saturday night arrested the sister of the Arab terrorist who murdered a 13-year-old girl in the town of Kiryat Arba on Thurday.
Hallel-Yaffa Ariel was stabbed to death in her sleep by 17-year-old Mohammed Nasser Tarayra of the Palestinian village of Bani Naim, near Hevron. Shortly after the attack - which Tarayra's mother publicly praised - IDF forces sealed off the village, revoked all work permits for the killer's clan members and prepared the murderer's house for demolition.
On Sunday morning, the IDF released a statement saying that the arrest of Tarayra's sister, Lara Tarayra, was carried out "as part of the campaign against incitement and against those who encourage acts of terror."
Like her mother, the murderer's sister also publicly praised her brother's act, and called for others to follow in his footsteps and kill "the accursed Jews."
Security forces say they suspect the sister knew of her brother's intentions, but did nothing to stop him or alert authorities.
In addition to her arrest, security forces detained eight other terror suspects in operations throughout Judea and Samaria. The suspects have been transferred for questioning.
5. MOTHER PLEADS: DON'T LET ME BECOME THE NEXT ESTI WEINSTEIN
by David Rosenberg
One week after the grisly discovery of Esti Weinstein's body near an Ashdod beach, a formerly haredi woman estranged from her children made an emotional appeal reminiscent of Weinstein's own pleas prior to her tragic death.
Aviva David, a 36-year old divorcee and mother of six, went public with her own story after Weinstein was found dead in an apparent suicide, warning that she suffers from a similar plight – and could have the same fate.
"What if you had the chance to intervene in the case of Esti Weinstein before it turned into a tragedy? Now there is such an opportunity – in my case."
Since her divorce, David claims, her husband has barred most of the children from seeing her, and continuously defames her in an effort to discourage them from ever renewing contact.
"They're told that I commit [all sorts] of indecent acts, that I'm living with non-Jews, that I am the one who abandoned [them], and that if they contact me, God will stop protecting them," said David.
David says that she is able to see her two oldest sons, but only "five minutes a week". As for her other four children, David claims her husband bars any contact whatsoever.
"Night after night, six children, the youngest of whom is six years old, go to sleep without their mother's kiss goodnight. Every morning they go to school without a warm hug from mommy."
The religious court charged with adjudicating the divorce, claims David, sided with her husband, and state welfare services, which are empowered to intervene in such cases, have responded passively.
"Where is the [child] welfare agency, which is supposed to be the responsible adult [in these cases] and is supposed to intervene when children are suffering, which, when it wants to, can overturn everything?"
6. CABINET STORM: LIBERMAN TELLS IDF OFFICERS NOT TO ANSWER BENNETT
by Shai Landesman
Last night's (Saturday) Cabinet meeting saw an unusual confrontation between two of its most senior members.
As the meeting - in which measures to counter the recent spate of attacks were discussed - was in progress, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman became irritated at Education Minister Naftali Bennett's incessant questioning of the IDF representatives in attendance, according to a Channel 2 report.
Liberman felt that Bennett's tone had become too critical, and the Defense Minister eventually directed the IDF officers to stop answering Bennett's questions.
Bennett had already asked dozens of questions when Liberman first asked him to stop. When Bennett refused to comply, continuing to ask questions in a critical tone as before, Liberman decided to order the military representatives to cease responding.
This incident in symptomatic of a more general displeasure in the Cabinet with Bennett's recent conduct; specifically his public criticism of the Cabinet. "You can't make a mockery of the Cabinet in the media, speaking of recycled resolutions and implying it's a foolish body," said one of the Ministers, "this is a vote of no confidence in the government and the security apparatus, and things cannot continue like this."
The Cabinet adopted several policy resolutions in the meeting, among them are the prevention of the transfer of funds to the families of terrorists - a topic about which Bennett spoke with Arutz Sheva this morning, and the destruction of several dozen illegal Palestinian buildings.
A proposal by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to detain and interrogate families of terrorists on suspicion of ties to terror was also adopted, and has already been implemented.
7. ELIE WIESEL HANGS A MEZUZAH - NEXT TO MICHAEL MARK
by Rachel Kaplan
An eerie photo has surfaced of Elie Wiesel hanging a mezuzah in Otniel. Next to him in the photo stands Michael Mark (gesturing with his hand).
Michael was murdered on Friday, when a terrorist sprayed more than 20 bullets at his car. Killed instantly, his car flipped, with his wife and children inside. His wife is still on life support, although his son Pedaya is set to be released today, while another daughter is awake in the hospital.
In a strange parallel, Elie Weisel passed away on Saturday, at the age of 87. Weisel, a Holocaust survivor known for personifying "Never Again," fought to represent the Jewish nation reborn, stronger than ever.
In the picture, they were together at the dedication of a new Beit Midrash (Torah study hall) in the town of Otniel, where Rabbi Mark lived and close to where he was murdered on Friday.
Today these two heroes, one a resident of the land, the other a figure of the world that was, stand together in our memories.
Also present in the picture is former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.
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8. BEREAVED CHILDREN CALL ON PUBLIC TO JOIN IN FATHER'S FUNERAL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2016748]
The bereaved children of Michael Mark, who was murdered in front of them in a terror attack on Friday, have called upon the public to join them in laying their slain father to rest.
"He wasn't just our father," said Orit Mark, one of the bereaved daughters, "he was a father to so many people, and it's very important for us that people come, because he belonged to everyone."
A second daughter, Shira Harif, called upon the public to take part in Mark's funeral, saying it was an opportunity to learn about his great kindness.
"Come everyone, hear something good about who our father was and take something good from that, become better people. Be better people, people who love more."
The funeral procession will set out from Otniel at 11:00 a.m. After eulogies in honor of Mark, the procession will make its way to the Har HaMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem, where he will be laid to rest.
Michael Mark Courtesy of the family
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