Residents of Beit Shemesh and Ashkelon were in mourning Thursday after two local sons – Staff. Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef of Ashkelon and Sgt. Yosef Cohen of Beit Shemesh – were killed in a terrorist shooting outside the Givat Asaf outpost on Thursday morning. Both Mor Yosef and Cohen served in the Nahal Haredi battalion attached to the IDF's Kfir Brigade.
Cohen's friends described his as loving and full of joy, which the terrorists' bullets extinguished. Cohen's funeral was held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. He was laid to rest on the Mount of Olives, next to the late husband of his stepsister, who was killed in a terrorist attack nine years ago. Cohen was buried in a civilian ceremony. His fellow soldiers in the Netzah Yehuda haredi battalion urged as many people as possible to attend the funeral.
"This was a lone soldier from a haredi family. We were his family. All of Jerusalem, along with the people of Israel, should go to his funeral," a message sent out by the battalion read.
Before enlisting in the IDF, Cohen volunteered with Holocaust survivors, handing out blankets. Cohen, who was raised in an ultra-Orthodox family, received lone soldier status and lived in a rented apartment in the Har Homa neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Cohen was raised in Beit Shemesh. After he finished school, he went against his upbringing and enlisted in the IDF.
Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch, who knew Cohen, said he was "an amazing young man who grew up in our city. He was a mischievous, charming kid, full of joy, who integrated his haredi lifestyle with a desire to serve and contribute to the people of Israel."
Rabbi Eliyahu Meirav, Cohen's stepfather, eulogized him: "I never believed this moment would come. We didn't know. You were all good – all heart, all god. You died before the age of 20. … How I enjoyed you, Yosef. You see us, the terrible pain I feel to lose you. Give us strength. … Thank you, Yossi, for giving us the privilege of your presence. Remember us."
Meirav had words for Cohen's birth father, Eitan, who died five years ago: "You raised a flower and now you're dancing with him above."
The head of the yeshiva where Cohen studied, Rabbi Itzhak Herman, also spoke at the funeral: "We met when you were 14. You were broken after your father's death. It was hard to get you to smile. I had the privilege of being with you at that time. You were so stubborn – you decided that you wanted to be joyful, for your life and your future. You turned into a guy full of joy, who wouldn't let life break him," Herman said.
Meirav said Thursday Cohen was very proud of serving.
"Every Shabbat at our house, we thank every member of the family, one by one. Last Shabbat, Yosef said something we didn't understand at the time: 'I thank the Creator for the privilege given me to defend the people of Israel.'"
Mor Yosef, who was a month shy of his 21st birthday, was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Ashkelon at 11 a.m. Friday.
Commander of the Kfir Brigade, Col. Zion Ratzon, gave a eulogy.
"Yovel, I came here in the name of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, the Kfir Brigade, and all the soldiers in the IDF to honor you one last time. Sadly, I didn't know you personally, but in the past few hours, I've heard a lot about you from your comrades and commanders. You used to play basketball as a kid, and you gave up that dream to serve as a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.
"Your comrades told me about a special person, someone who lived to help others. You were a quiet, modest person with a great big heart. Loved by all your friends. Your death has left a hole in our hearts, a hole that will never heal," Ratzon said.
"Throughout your service in the battalion, you had one mission: to defend the citizens of Israel. I promise you that our spirits will not flag. We will bravely continue our defensive and offensive missions and we'll do everything so that the people of Israel can live in safety … your spirit will always be with us," Ratzon said.
Mor Yosef's uncle, Sami, said on Thursday after learning of his nephew's death: "It's an inconceivable loss. Just unbelievable that a son of a bitch murdered him. We demand that the government kill the terrorist, [but] not even his death will comfort the parents."
"Yovel insisted on serving in a combat unit and he was an amazing guy. It's unbelievable we have to talk about him in the past tense. This morning, he told his father he was finishing a night shift and was supposed to be going home [for the weekend], but he volunteered to replace others so they could rest. It was the will of God. He loved serving. He made a contribution and always stepped up," Sami Mor Yosef said.
Yovel's good friend Omer Negev said, "I was almost a member of his family. I'd come over any time. What happened to him is almost like a bad dream. We were three friends. We played basketball in school and went everywhere together. Our third friend told me Yovel had been murdered. Now we're just two."
In a final chilling text message to Negev, Yovel wrote, "If you pass by Givat Asaf, don't forget about me. I love you."
Benny David, who was the faculty member responsible for Yovel's class at Amit High School in Ashkelon, said "he was a wonderful kid, with an amazing personality, full of a desire to give, goodwill, and a noble spirit."
David talked about Yovel staying on duty after a night shift, saying, "That's like him. All Yovel ever wanted was to help his friends, so he was ready to give of himself for their sakes."
Rabbi David Fuchs, one of the rabbis who works with the Netzah Yehuda battalion, said, "I saw Yovel and Yosef just half an hour before the attack. They were on guard duty."
Meanwhile, medical staff at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center are fighting to save another soldier wounded in the same terrorist shooting who is in critical condition with a head wound.
Dr. Miklosh Bala, head of the hospital's trauma unit, said Thursday, "The soldier was given a CT [scan] and underwent surgery. His life is in danger."
A civilian wounded in the attack, Shira Sabag, is still hospitalized in stable condition at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Senior trauma surgeon Dr. Alon Schwartz said that Sabag had suffered bullet wounds to her pelvis and left thigh, but had responded well to a blood transfusion.
