Terrorist killing of Omri Levi is second tragedy for family

Crowds of mourners made their way on Monday to the home of Golani soldier Sgt. Omri Levi, who was murdered in the terrorist shooting at the Beersheba bus station on Sunday evening.

Levi, whose father died suddenly two years ago, is survived by his mother, Efrat, and twin siblings, Yuval and Roi, who turn 16 on Tuesday. A source close to the family said, "Instead of celebrating their birthday and being happy, we are burying our beloved Omri and sitting shiva."

"How could it happen to me again? In such a short time, two such awful tragedies happen to us," Efrat said. She and the twins found it difficult to speak much, and asked for the media not to attend Omri's funeral Monday in Moshav Sde Hemed.

The head of the Southern Sharon Regional Council, Moti Dalgo, said Monday, "This was a double tragedy. Two and a half years ago, [Omri's] father suffered a heart attack while out for an evening walk around the moshav. [The death of] the son is the second surprise. Omri was an amazing kid, a guide in the moshav youth movement. His friends and his teachers loved him."

Dalgo said that Levi had many friends and was popular with everyone he knew.

"He finished high school here at Yarkon Makif, which is known for the high number of graduates who join elite combat units. He insisted on volunteering for Golani. It's a huge loss, not only for the family, but also for the moshav and the entire regional council. The family's private pain in the pain of the entire Moshav Sde Hemed community," Dalgo said.

The council leader said that the mother, Efrat, was "broken."

"I was with them when the father, Noam, died," he said. "I came to console them and I remember saying to myself that Efrat was strong, but today I saw her collapsing. It's a huge blow. We're all standing behind her. The entire community, and professionals. Everyone."

One of the Levi family's neighbors said, "I won't forget how the father, who was 46, went out for a walk with the dog and never came back. Now another tragedy has struck them and all of us around them. They're closed off alone now, it's very sad."

Moshav secretary David Sivan said that "since the Yom Kippur War, six soldiers from this community have been killed. Omri is the seventh. It's too much."

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