Wife of fallen soldier: How many more orphans, widows will there be in Israel?

“Tell God, ‘Enough already!’ How many more orphans and widows are yet to exist here? It’s impossible,” Aviya Luber said Wednesday in her eulogy for her husband, St.-Sgt. (res.) Elisha Yehonatan Luber, 24, who was killed in battle in southern Gaza on Monday.

“Yehonatan, pray that we succeed,” she said during his funeral at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. “Your connection to God was so important; now you’re close to Him. See what is happening here...

“My Yehonatan, my life, my beloved. How much you loved this land; how often you spoke about it. You never saw anything outside of Israel with your own eyes. You weren’t willing to return home until you had done everything, even arguing with your commander to be the first to volunteer for duty in Gaza.

“When we got engaged, I begged you not to die before me, but you didn’t even agree when I lost my temper with you. You told me, ‘You’re my heroine,’ and I replied that I’m not. You called me last Saturday night and said nothing was hard for you there, but you missed home and [our son] Nachman. When you came back home, he wouldn’t leave you. What a father you were; how proud and in love with him.”

Hagai Luber, Yehonatan’s father, shared his son’s final words to him: “Before Yehonatan left for Gaza, he called me. He told me, ‘Dad, I’m ready to go, but please promise me you’ll take care of my wife and son. They are my world.’”

Yehonatan, a member of Battalion 8104, had been serving in the southern Gaza Strip when he was killed in battle. His wife and 10-month-old son were left with a void that can never be filled, but the memory of his courage and commitment will forever live on.

Hundreds attend funeral

Hundreds of family members, soldiers, friends, and acquaintances attended the funeral. Luber was a youth leader in Yitzhar and a valued member of the Samaria Regional Council.

Yehonatan was the cousin of Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, who were killed in a terrorist shooting attack in Huwara nine months ago.

Col. Ido Meushar, representing the IDF, said: “Yehonatan, throughout your service, you acted with professionalism and dedication. You approached every task with precision and the utmost commitment. Even when you weren’t obligated to stay in your unit, you chose to do so out of a deep sense of duty and volunteering that burned within you. The values of Zionism, faith, and the defense of the people and the land were the guiding lights of your path.

“With the spirit of Yehonatan, son of King Saul, you chose to volunteer and be the first to go to battle in the unit. We lost a dear person. In this difficult hour, I say on behalf of myself and the soldiers and commanders of Battalion 8104 that from now on, you, the family, are an inseparable part of us...

“Yehonatan, thank you for being the person you were. I salute you on your final journey.”

Shai Alon, head of the Beit El Local Council, said Yehonatan had a “constant smile, modesty, and love of Torah as a servant of God in faith. You became a central figure in the community as a guide in the Ariel youth movement. Even when the environment and conditions were challenging and harsh, you were always there for everyone.”