A social media post shared a picture of the daughter of Maj. Harel Birenstock, who was laid to rest Thursday at Har HaMenuchot. The post, captioned 'heartbreaking', captures a moment of grief following the funeral of the 55th Paratroopers Reserve Brigade company commander.
A social media post shared a picture of the young daughter of Maj. Harel Birenstock at his grave shortly after the Thursday burial at Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem. The image, captioned 'heartbreaking,' circulated widely, drawing public expressions of grief and solidarity with the family of the 55th Paratroopers Reserve Brigade company commander.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday, the funeral began at 12:47 Jerusalem, with a fellow soldier recounting Birenstock's final words to his troops before combat. By 12:47, his mother eulogized him in tears, saying 'enough with this pain that tears the soul,' and his widow vowed that the children would grow up in a happy home, with dancing and songs. The eulogies were covered in a series of updates from the funeral scene.
Birenstock, 34, a resident of Nokdim in Judea, fell in combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday, August 6, along with Chief Master Sgt. Tamir Vaknin, when a booby-trapped house exploded during operational activity by the 55th Brigade. Four other soldiers were seriously wounded in the same incident, as the IDF confirmed on Thursday morning. The brigade has been engaged in neutralizing terror infrastructure along Israel's northern border.
The family's loss has resonated deeply within the religious-Zionist community of Gush Etzion and across Israel, as the nation continues to mourn its fallen soldiers. The photo of Birenstock's daughter has become a new focal point of the collective grief.
6 developments
- StrongIDF confirms four reserve soldiers seriously wounded in incident that killed two troops
- StrongPresident Herzog mourns two fallen soldiers, hails them as 'heroes of Israel'
- StrongReserve forces hold memorial for fallen soldiers Benaya Shirel, Liel Gidoni, and Hadar Goldin in eastern Rafah
- DevelopingShiva mourning schedules published for six fallen IDF soldiers
Source and signal
- Open-source intake