WATCH: Yehonatan Luber’s Son Delighted At Father’s Picture Hours Before His Death

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A short time before he fell in battle, Yehonatan Luber (24), who was a youth coordinator in civilian life, as well as studying at the Roeh Yisrael yeshiva, sent a message of encouragement to the young members of his community, Yitzhar, which is located in the center of Samaria, adjacent to Shechem. Luber wrote that “I’m happy to hear that you are volunteering, I love you.” Luber added, in a reference to his own precarious situation: “Pray for me.”

Yehonatan was also a young father, with a baby son and a wife expecting another child. A few hours before he fell in the fierce fighting in southern Gaza, his wife showed her baby a picture of his father, and the baby showed his delight at seeing the familiar face.

שעתיים לפני נפילתו בקרב.
אלמנתו ובנו היתום של יהונתן לובר הי״ד 💔 pic.twitter.com/SXLyQgFSso

— אביחי חדד avihai haddad (@avihaihaddad) December 25, 2023

Luber is a member of a staunchly patriotic family with many roots in the settlements in Judea and Samaria. His two cousins, Yagel and Hallel Yaniv HyD from the adjacent settlement of Har Bracha were murdered by Hamas terrorists at the end of February.

Luber’s father Hagai, founder of the religious theater group Aspaklaria which performs Torah-themed plays around Israel, had just one request after his son’s death: He asked for one day of unity in his memory and requested that journalists refrain from publishing items which cause contention and instead focus on the beautiful aspects of our nation.

Luber prefaced his message, stating “From the great power of the Jewish nation, from perceiving the great hour in which the people of Israel are eradicating the essence of evil from the world, and from great and deep personal pain, we announce the falling of our beloved son Yehonatan Luber HyD. In the name of the entire nation we are proud of him and thank him for partnering in eradicating evil and destroying our enemies.

“We have no grievance to Hashem, no grievance to the Israeli government and no grievance to the IDF and to the decisions of its commanders in the field.

“May we merit to see a swift victory and the return of our hostages whom Yehonatan so much hoped and prayed for their return.”