Hundreds attend funeral of father and son killed in terror attack

Hundreds of people on Saturday night attended the funeral of Rabbi Ya’akov Litman and his teenage son Netanel, who were shot dead in a terror attack south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, President Reuven Rivlin, and Chief Rabbi David Lau were among the mourners who gathered at the cemetery to pay their last respects to the father and son killed by Palestinian assailants while traveling to a pre-wedding party for their eldest daughter.

In his eulogy, Rivlin praised the 18-year-old Netanel, who aspired to be a doctor, for his commitment to volunteering for the Magen David Adom emergency service in his spare time.

Rivlin went on to emphasize the Jewish connection to Hebron, and vowed Israel would never give up its fight against terrorism.

“We are not afraid, we do not surrender and we do not retreat – even when our blood, the blood of fathers and sons is spilled, we remember that our roots are planted in the earth of this land,” he said.

Rivlin mentioned the massive terror attacks that rocked Paris late Friday night, and said the bloody massacres in the French capital should serve as a warning to the rest of the world.

“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,” Rivlin said.

Barkat similarly decried the global reach of terrorism, and said the phenomenon “cuts across oceans and continents, and does not distinguish between blood.”

The mayor called for increased cooperation between Israel and the European Union in combating terrorism for the sake of innocent civilians.

Netanel’s grandfather Michael said the entire community of the settlement of Kiryat Arba, where the Litman family resides, would mourn the loss of life. He said Netanel and his father were gunned down simply for being Jewish. “Netanel, your father expected to watch you grow up and live a long life, and instead you were murdered in the 18th year of your life,” he lamented.

“You were murdered by bloodthirsty savages who do not value life,” he added.

In his eulogy, Dvir Litman remembered his father as a man who was joyfully devoted to his family and his faith.

“Dad, who will lead us now? Who will walk Sara to the huppah? Who will say kiddush for us on Shabbat?” he asked.

Sara Litman’s wedding was scheduled for Tuesday night.