Mr. Ezra Shaar, a grandfather of Gilad Shaar HY”D tells the media that he learned of the death of his grandson and Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach through an el-Jazeera report. He told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Tuesday 3 Tammuz that he learned of the discovery of the bodies via el-Jazeera TV.
“We are people who believe in HKBH and the IDF and we believed that it would end differently. We believed it would end well. To our sorrow this did not occur” stated Ezra Shaar. I dealt with the pain of the death of my brother Binyamin and on that very same day 32 years later I learned of the death of my grandson. “I believe in the IDF and I am confident these despicable people will get what is coming to them…”
Mr. Shaar then took a few moments to describe the magnitude of the loss, speaking of the special qualities of his late grandson, who was the only boy among five sisters.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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15 Responses
im sorry for knocking but seriously, HKBH and the IDF?
Yes, #1. He believes in HKB”H and the IDF as I do (if I have to explain the position, there is no point in doing so). How thoughtful of you to preface your sick comment by apologizing for it!
Yanky55 – I’m sorry to say, but I also would like to know what you and other Mizrachi Jews mean when you say, “I BELIEVE in the IDF”. I hear this often and find that expression nauseating. It sounds like if G-d Forbid you put your faith in anything other than HKBH. I would never use the expression “BELIEVE” in any thing other than Hashem, not even “I believe in my Rebbe”. Rather, “I trust my Rebbe”. I’m sure you don’t mean what it sounds like, so what do you really mean when you say, “I BELIEVE in the IDF”?
#3- I believe that HKB”H gives the IDF the intelligence snd koach they need, to do what needs to be done. If they are not matzliach in a mission C”V, it is b/c HKB”H wanted it to happen that way (obviously). So yes, I BELIEVE in the IDF precisely because I believe in HKB”H. No, it is not putting my faith in anything other than HKB”H. Why is that such a difficult concept?
I respectfully refer you coffee addict to Shevi’i Shel Pesach:- “vaYa’aminu baShem oveMoshe Avdau”.
Meanwhile how dare anyone question Mr Ezra Shaar at a time of unimaginable grief & tragedy, and now a double Johrzeit annually.
I am beyond ashamed to read some of these comments. The grandfather who lost his grandson so brutally has to have people pick apart his words? Please, please, please! Do you think that Hashem is getting pleasure from this? Please have some rachmanos on this grandfather, and have some rachmanos on yourselves – our divisiveness and bashing each other will not help Klal Yisrael in this golus!
To yanky 55 with all due respect from past experience and some attitudes displayed by many the terminology. I believe does have some. Neg. Connotations even if you. Dont think so
You all missed the message!!! Hidden are hidden take this tragedy and change!!! This horrific tragedy united every type of Yidden in tefilas and here you all are being idiots!!! Stop judging and love a fellow yid!!!
#6- What you wrote is exactly what I meant when I wrote “sick comment” referring to #1. Thank you for expounding upon it. You are so right!
How to obtain the release of hostages.
1. Locate the place the hostages are being held and surround it with police.
2. Do not attack or make any threatening moves as this may cause the immediate killing of the hostages
3. Only allow a minimum amount of food and supplies to enter provided it can be established that a suitable amount is going to the hostages
4. Propose a one to one prisoner exchange plus safe passage out of the country for the captors with modalities to be set by negotiation.
5. Allow the captors to claim victory for a successful operation which gained the release of their comrades
*In the event that the captors can be killed suddenly and rapidly, it should be done. However this is very risky. For example the Entebbe “rescue” resulted in the death of one soldier and one hostage, an old lady, who had been quietly taken from the group and put into a hospital when she became ill.
#4 Yanky55 – thank you for your reply. However, you statement, “So yes, I BELIEVE in the IDF precisely because I believe in HKB”H” still sounds bizarre and is confusing. Perhaps such statement should be changed to something more defining that leaves no room for misinterpretation.
147 and Gold – I fully understand your view and originally I was not going to write anything. However, once comments #1 and #2 were made I decides to express my confusion about this expression that is often made. My purpose was not to be judgmental of Mr. Shaar in any way, especially during his grief. Not the right time.
My question was rather directed towards you and your views. Why do you use such an expression? BTW – the pusuk you are quoting, take a look at the meforshim. It is not as you imply.
sorry for starting this machlokes
after yankys and 147s post, i understand his comment now, originally i assumed since Hashem runs everything so what does believing in someone other than Hashem help, however if thats the explanation its saying i believe Hashem is using his koach through the idf
thank you
There is a shtikel phony frumkeit of “I am a bigger tzadik than you” in some of the comments, isn’t it?
For Israelis, the IDF is the least corrupted and most professionally run of all the government branches. That’s why the IDF is more trusted. When the avel said he believed, he didn’t mean that the IDF is divine. It’s wrong to read into someone’s words what’s not there.
to coffee addict: your apology has gained klal Yisrael a big zechus in Shamayim! yasher koach!
#13 – thanks for your clarification.