Two pure and beautiful souls, murdered for their one and only crime of being Jewish. And this is the reality of the Jewish people.
They will never feel the jitters, anticipation or excitement that one feels on his/her wedding day. They will never stand under the wedding canopy with their beloved, awaiting in anticipation for a wonderful lifetime together, although Almog and his Noy were planning to in the coming months. They will never feel the deep unconditional love that only a parent can feel when holding their newborn infant in their arms for the very first time. They will never give their parents the priceless gift of becoming grandparents….
Almog Shiloni, a 20-year-old soldier from Modiin, was stabbed multiple times in the torso Monday afternoon outside a Tel Aviv train station and later succumbed to his injuries. His suspected attacker, a Palestinian man from Nablus, was arrested by police and released from the hospital for questioning by Israeli authorities Tuesday afternoon.
Shiloni was one of two Israelis killed in separate attacks Monday. A few hours after the Tel Aviv attack, a 26-year-old woman, Dalia Lemkus, was stabbed to death at a bus stop outside of Alon Shvut, south of Jerusalem.
Lemkus was laid to rest in her hometown of Tekoa on Tuesday am. Two pure and beautiful souls, murdered for their one and only crime of being Jewish. And this is the reality of the Jewish people.
We are a nation made of titanium…Strong and unbreakable….But yet, our enemies continue to try to shatter us into a million pieces with the hopes that the damage could never be repaired. The collective bitter tears, the devastation, the tragic losses and the broken hearts never seem to end, and yet, our perseverance remains and we don’t give up. Because giving up is not in the cards for us. We, the people of Israel, are exactly where we’re supposed to be, as one nation and one gigantic aching heart.