‘I have half a broken heart,’ says twin brother of slain soldier at funeral
Girlfriend of Almog Shiloni, who was stabbed to death in Tel Aviv attack, says they were set to get married, calls him ‘an angel’
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Several hundred people accompanied the grieving family of slain IDF soldier Almog Shiloni as he was laid to rest Tuesday at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery.
Shiloni, 20, of 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.
Joined by Almog’s comrades from the air force, Shiloni’s family recalled a brother and son who was always taking care of the rest of the family, and others. His twin brother, Sahar, eulogized his brother, speaking of his pain at being separated from Almog.
“I had a whole heart, but now I have half a broken heart,” he said. “I love you, my brother.”
Sahar recounted his brother’s caring and generous nature and recalled an incident three weeks earlier when Almog brought a lone soldier to the family home for the weekend.
“It was so typical of you that you would bring a solitary person who has nothing to do, who has nowhere to be or where to eat and you brought him to our home,” he said. “Why? Because you are the most caring person in the world. You cared for all of us, but you didn’t take care of yourself.”
Almog’s girlfriend Noy said the couple planned to marry in the coming months.
“We wanted to get married, you made me become religious,” she said. “You did a very good deed. You are an angel. There are no words to describe you. I will never forget you.”
“I know that right now you are saying to us from above that we should be strong and that things are good for you, but it isn’t good for us,” Sahar said. “For us it is hard. Just help us from above. Support us.”
Almog’s father, Yosef, also spoke during the funeral.
“You are a priceless treasure,” he said. “You completed 20 years of life and we were privileged to see you grow up. You were supposed to marry your girlfriend Noy, everything was arranged, but our father in heaven decided he wanted the purest souls by his side.”
“Thy servants have spilled enough blood, the altar is bloody,” Yosef lamented. “Here is a sacrificial lamb. So innocent, without blemish.”
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 the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut, south of Jerusalem.
Lemkus was laid to rest in her hometown of Tekoa, a settlement in the West Bank, on Tuesday morning.
The Times of Israel Community.