Hadar Buchris, the latest victim of a Palestinian terrorist attack, was described by her friends and teachers as a unique, warm and vibrant young woman, whose murder hurt many to the core.

The murder on Sunday of 21-year-old Hadar Buchris by a Palestinian terrorist at the Gush Etzion junction came as a shock to everyone who knew her, causing them great pain.

Hadar, a resident of the northern Israeli city of Safed and a student at a post-high school seminary in Bat Ayin near the site of the attack, was stabbed while waiting for a ride at the intersection, near the Israeli communities of Efrat and Alon Shvut. IDF soldiers stationed nearby shot and killed the terrorist, later identified as Wissam Tawabte, 34, from Beit Fajjar, a nearby Palestinian village.

Buchris was administered emergency medical treatment at the scene before being evacuated to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, but was pronounced dead soon afterwards, just two weeks after returning from a six-month trek in India.

Teachers from her high school years in the Golan Heights told Channel 2 about the shock and disbelief at Buchris’ death. “When her name was released on the news, we hoped it was just a similar name and it wasn’t her,” they said. Her former theater teacher told interviewers that Hadar was “always a source of good energy, a wonderful girl, welcoming and very funny.”

She Wanted to Become a Mother

Shimshon Goldstein, Chabad’s emissary at Pushkar, told Arutz Sheva that Hadar took care of his son Shilo while she stayed with them during her trip in the country, and always said: “I will be a mother.”

She was “full of life and faith,” he recalled. “She came here and always spoke about wanting to live a life of truth, a life of action for the Nation of Israel. For amplifying the good in everyone.”

“At Chabad House she gave all of her kindliness, with her infectious smile. She would come up to me and ask if she could bake a cake, just to ‘spoil’ everyone. We are in great sorrow, and sorrow for the entire Nation of Israel.”

Riki, Hadar’s aunt, spoke to Israel’s IDF Radio about the viciousness of the attack. “To cut off a life in the cruelest way. A knife to the head, to the heart, to the upper body. What a terrible thing that is, how can people do that kind f thing? It is animalistic.”

The pain she feels is “the pain of an entire nation,” she said. “The nation is calling out enough! It is inconceivable that to step outside one must recite a special prayer. The entire world has gone mad.”

She was laid to rest on Monday afternoon in Jerusalem. Hundreds of Israelis, who were not acquainted with her, heeded her family’s request to attend her funeral.

By: United with Israel Staff and The Algemeiner