BRUCHIN, ISRAEL (VINnews) — In the wake of the brutal murder of Tze’ela Gaz — may her memory be a blessing — the educational staff at the Amit Bruchin Yeshiva gathered for a special session of reflection and strength. The event featured speaker Hagai Lober, father of Yehonatan Lober, an Israeli soldier who fell in battle in Gaza during the ongoing Swords of Iron war.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“There is comfort,” Lober began. “Comfort is not forgetting — there is no chance we will forget. Comfort is not laughing, not blurring the pain, not trying to justify the loss. Comfort is finding meaning and content that gives us the strength to continue.”
Drawing from the biblical story of Isaac mourning his father Abraham, Lober emphasized that comfort comes not from the erasure of grief but from the courage to move forward.
During the emotionally charged gathering, Lober shared three core elements that have given him comfort in the wake of his son’s death: “How he lived, what he died for, and what he left behind.”
“A person’s life is not a single moment,” he said. “It’s an entire tapestry. Yehonatan was a young child with his own unique personality.”
Lober said he hopes these reflections might also offer a measure of solace to the Bruchin community as it grapples with its own tragedy.
The session was part of an ongoing effort by the Yeshiva to support staff and students in navigating grief, loss and resilience amid the ongoing conflict.
