‘A Black Day For Israel’

(lubavitch.com) After two years of speculation about the condition of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah terrorists on the Israel-Lebanese border in the summer 2006, the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were transferred to Israel earlier today.

The two black coffins, delivered to the Israeli military as part of a swap in which Israel released five Lebanese prisoners, among them a notorious terrorist, were first confirmation that both soldiers were dead.

“It is a truly black day,” said Chabad’s Rabbi Dovid Meir Drukman, who is chief rabbi of Kiryat Mozkin where the family of Eldad Regev resides. Drukman has been in close contact with the family throughout their ordeal, and was with them today. Though he acknowledged that the return of the bodies allows for the soldiers to finally receive a Jewish burial, the swap brought bitter closure to the families who’ve endured two years of campaigning for their return.

“This is a tragic ending to a very drawn out saga of great anguish,” said Rabbi Drukman. The families’s pain, he said, “is reflective of the feeling that prevails today in Israel at large.”

Rabbi Moshe Oirechman, Chabad representative to the area, visited the Goldwasser family, and lit memorial candles as is customary. Chabad representatives spent time with both families, and in the course of the day, encouraged many of the locals who turned out to express their sympathy, to do a mitzvah in memory of the soldiers.

About Luke Ford

Raised a Seventh-Day Adventist at Avondale College in Australia, Luke Ford moved to California in 1977. He graduated from Placer High School in 1984, reported the news at KAHI/KHYL radio for three years, attended Sierra College and UCLA, was largely bedridden by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for six years, and converted to Judaism in 1993. From 1997-2007, Luke made his living from blogging. Living by Beverly Hills (Alexander90210.com), he now teaches the Alexander Technique (moving the way the body likes to move). Lessons cost $100 each and last about 45 minutes. In 2011, Luke completed a three-year teaching course at the Alexander Training Institute of Los Angeles. His personal Alexander Technique website is Alexander90210.com. Luke is the author of five books, including: » The Producers: Profiles in Frustration » Yesterday’s News Tomorrow: Inside American Jewish Journalism
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