Netanyahu, Rivlin offer condolences to father of NY fire victims

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin wrote personal letters to bereaved father Gabriel Sassoon, who lost seven of his eight children in a house fire in New York on Friday.

Sassoon’s seven children were buried in Jerusalem on Monday in an emotional funeral attended by hundreds. The family had lived in Israel before moving to Brooklyn two years ago.

“I was deeply shocked to hear about the tragic deaths of your beloved children, Eliane, David, Rivka, Yehoshua, Moshe, Sarah and Yaakov,” Netanyahu wrote on Monday, according to a statement from his office.”From what I have heard about them, they were children imbued with values, who were a source of pride and joy for you. Each one of your children was a world unto him or herself, unique and special. There is no greater sorrow than the loss of children and the pain is even greater because they were so young. The entire Jewish people feels your pain.”

The seven children, aged 5 to 16, were killed in a blaze Friday night at their Brooklyn home, after a hot plate left on over Shabbat malfunctioned, sparking a large fire. Sassoon’s wife Gayle and daughter Tziporah, 14, managed to escape the flames but were critically injured.

In a separate letter sent on Tuesday, the president told Sassoon that he had prayed for the welfare of his wife and daughter.

“It is not in my power to comfort you on this terrible disaster,” Rivlin wrote. “However, I, with all of the Jewish people, are standing with you and take you into our hearts at this difficult and terrible time. I prayed for the recovery of your wife Gayle, and daughter Tziporah.

“I hope that you will find the strength and faith to build your lives anew, and that the rebuilding of Zion and Jerusalem will comfort all of us,” he added.

The bodies of the Sassoon siblings, ages 5 to 16, were flown to Israel overnight Sunday-Monday from New York and whisked away to Jerusalem for the funeral in a convoy escorted by police.

Wrapped in shrouds, the bodies were displayed on stretchers for a memorial service in a room crowded with dozens of mourners. After the service, they were buried at Jerusalem’s main cemetery.

Sassoon said at their funeral in Jerusalem that the kids were “innocent lambs.”

Brooklyn’s NBA team pays tribute to Sassoon children

On Monday night, the Brooklyn Nets NBA basketball team paid tribute to the Sassoon family before their game, holding a moment of silence in the darkened stadium.

The public address announcer called the fire “a heartbreaking tragedy for the family and for the  community.”

“The Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center extend their deepest sympathies to the Sassoon family and their friends,” he continued as the crowd stood silently, before listing the seven children’s names.

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Marissa Newman, AP contributed to this report.