Hundreds attended the funeral Tuesday of Cpl. Ziv Mizrahi, 18, who was murdered in a terrorist attack at a gas station on Route 443. He was buried at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. "You won't break us. The nation of Israel lives on!" his father, Doron Mizrahi, shouted at the funeral. His son's death was not the first terrorist killing to strike the family: Doron Mizrahi's brother, Alon, was killed in a terrorist bombing at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem in 2003. "May the memory of the enemies of Israel be blotted out," Doron Mizrahi continued. "The nation of Israel lives on! You will not break our spirit! "Twelve years ago, I lost my brother. I thought that with that, I had paid the price. I am a bereaved brother, I belong to a bereaved family, enough already. "Today, I am also a bereaved father. But you will not break our spirit. We will cry, we will mourn. But I promise you, next Wednesday [after the shiva week], I will be back at work. You will not break our spirit. This country belongs to us and we will fight to the end. The nation of Israel lives on!" Doron Mizrahi spoke about his double loss, saying, "We are a strong family. My brother [who had been a security guard at the cafe] could have run away, but he did not run away. He was blown up along with the terrorist and he saved a lot of people. "I asked the commanders from the municipal officer's department yesterday, 'Tell me the truth, did the terrorist come from behind, stab him and that's how it ended-' He told me, 'No, he saved his officer. He shot the terrorist even with a knife in his heart.' "With a knife in his heart, he shot the terrorist! That is Ziv, a hero of Israel. We are a strong family and a strong nation, and we will carry on." Ziv's brother, Lidor, also eulogized him. "It's impossible to believe that I had to lose you at such a young age. I had the privilege of being the brother of someone with such an enormous soul filled with so much good," he said. "You knew how to lead the family during the most difficult times. I love you so much. My heart is broken into pieces, and yet I still want to send a message to the enemies of Israel: You will never erase the people of Israel." Sivan, Ziv's cousin, added, "You were killed because you were a Jew in the State of Israel. This is a stubborn war that is not letting up, but we will not be broken. You, my dear cousin, are a victim in this war." Col. Nir Yeshaya, who commands the battalion to which Ziv Mizrahi belonged, said, "He always sought extra responsibility and aspired to excellence. He was a man and a soldier who was ready for any challenge. Ziv did not submit, he shot the terrorist even after being stabbed, displaying his fighting spirit and preventing a larger attack. "This is the kind of behavior we expect from our soldiers."
Credit: Reuters
