Mother of girl murdered in her sleep by terrorist: How do you eulogize a flower?

Hundreds of people attended the funeral Thursday of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, who was murdered in her sleep at her home in Kiryat Arba. The funeral procession set out from the yeshiva high school in the Givat Harsina neighborhood in Kiryat Arba and made its way to the Jewish cemetery in Hebron, where Hallel was laid to rest beside her father's first wife.


Credit: Reuters; IDF Spokesperson's Unit

A number of government ministers, Knesset members, rabbis and public officials took part in the sad ceremony.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi), a cousin of Hallel's father, Amichai, called on the government to continue building in Judea and Samaria and apply Israeli law to those areas.

"God is a vengeful god, and it is for God to avenge," he said. "We mere human beings say to those who mourn: 'Building the land will bring you comfort.'"

"This cannot be just a demand. This is an instruction. A commandment. And I'm standing here and telling you, Hallel, and telling you, the Ariel family: Today we have sworn to build even more in the land of Israel. Before her bat mitzvah, Hallel and her parents visited the Temple Mount. The heart of the nation, the holiest of holies," Ariel said.

"Mr. Prime Minister, we have it in our power to bring this into being every hour of every day. We are being tested. I spoke with [Hallel's parents] Rina and Amichai. No one can break them down or stop the melody. And not only can't it be done, it will continue and grow -- from hilltop to hilltop, from valley to valley, and with God's help, we'll build thousands more homes in Kiryat Arba."

Ariel pointed an accusatory finger at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, remarking that "anyone who says, in 2016, that Jews poison wells is responsible on a personal and a national level for this murder, just like all the terrorism that is raging in our country. ... It's time to exert our sovereignty. It's time to build [in] the land of Israel in its entirety."

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Habayit Hayehudi) also gave a eulogy, saying: "One minute you were there alone, safe and sound in your bed. But there are those for whom that picture, that peace, your beauty, brings out a lust for murder that we simply cannot comprehend. We were not raised to understand a murder like this. Our enemies are raised to praise it.

"You, Hallel, are a link in a generations-long chain of Jewish heroism in the face of hatred of Jews. Our enemies think that they can cut the chain of the Jewish people that goes back 3,800 years in the City of the Patriarchs. They are wrong. We're here for eternity," Bennett said.

Esther Merom, Hallel's dance teacher, recalled the dance performance in which Hallel had participated the night before she was murdered: "I remember that just before you went on stage, you were standing, hidden and beautiful, in a white dress. I was amazed at you. While you were stabbed, your mother didn't know about it, and she sent me a message: 'Good for you, it gives Hallel strength, and she's coming along.' I answered: 'Thanks a lot,' and 'Hallel is gorgeous.' And a minute later they report the attack, and I don't understand -- how? For years, we've danced in the shadow of terrorism. The morning after such an uplifting evening ... it's impossible to take in. Saying goodbye to you after an evening like that is symbolic. I swear to you that we won't stop dancing. We'll dance and we'll ache. You were part of the great dream to bring about a revolution of dance in the religious sector. You're certainly dancing your last dance up in heaven, straight and gentle and full of charm."

Hallel's mother, Rina, gave a heartbreaking eulogy for her daughter: "Father, how do you eulogize a 13-and-a-half-year old girl? What words can be used to eulogize a flower, a pure soul, a girl of strength, a beautiful girl? You had a crown of light. You made me a mother. I was privileged. Thirteen and a half years, Father, you left [her] in my charge. I'm returning her to your charge with love, with faith. Take, Father, take my charge. But know this: Halleli has reached the heavenly throne, but Father, it's crowded there, people from Kiryat Arba fill it up. There's no more room, Father. There's no more room. I'm begging that Hallel be the last victim. Enough!

"Sarah our matriarch, embrace her, because I, her mother, can never touch her. And Miriam, make some room for her near the heavenly throne so Hallel can dance. And Rebecca and Rachel and Tamar and Esther -- embrace Hallel.

"I did the best I could. Hallel had the privilege of a mother and a father and ... now she is privileged with you, and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Take care of her, Father. I'm returning her to you. My job is done.

"But I can't be satisfied with that. I'm standing here with my hurting heart, and I'm turning to you, the Arab Muslim mother, who sent your son to stab. I taught my daughter to love. And you and teachers like you teach hatred. Go, take a look at yourselves. We are strong, we are here. The glory of Israel will never lie. We will continue on, Halleli. My [personal] Temple has been destroyed, sweetheart, but God gave us the strength to settle on this hill, to aspire to build God's house. All of Islam won't win, and I'm saying here, Halleli, see you later, sweetie. Take a last hug from mom. Father, the shipment has arrived, I've finished my job. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one."

Mohammed Tarayreh, the terrorist who killed Hallel Ariel in her sleep, was not much older than she was. Tarayreh, 17, is a resident of the village of Bani Naim near Kiryat Arba. On Thursday, it turned out that he had left hints about the act he was planning to commit. A few days earlier, he had written on his Facebook page that "dying a martyr's death is a privilege, and I demand that privilege."

On Thursday, the terrorist's relatives praised the murder while mourning him. "My son is a hero," Tarayreh's mother told Palestinian and foreign media outlets.

"My son is no better than the shahids who fell before him. He is a hero exactly like they were, who fell trying to defend Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa Mosque. I hope that all the youth of Palestine will follow in his footsteps," she said.

When asked if murdering a girl in her bed was a heroic act, the mother replied: "I don't have a shred of pity for Jews, and certainly not for settlers who kill and murder us. For me, every settler is a criminal who deserves to die."

Residents of the village later claimed that collective punishment, such as revoking the villagers' permits to work in Israel, would only lead to escalation, not calm.

"If the occupation thinks that demolishing homes will stop terrorist attacks, that's a mistake," one of the terrorist's relatives said. "Desperation causes people to commit horrible acts. Therefore, the attacks won't stop."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday, after holding a security consultation with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, that it was decided to put the entire village of Bani Naim, where the terrorist lived, under closure, and to revoke all work permits granted to the terrorist's family. "The process of blowing up the terrorist's home has been initiated," Netanyahu added.

Overnight, the house was mapped by engineering experts ahead of its expected demolition.

　

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