Rivlin visits bereaved family
Israel’s president Reuven Rivlin has visited the family of IDF soldier Ziv Mizrachi…murdered in a terrorist knife attack on the country’s Route 443 on Monday.
A sad visit Photo: Mark Neyman
“No words can comfort such a loss”, said the President to the family and embraced them warmly, “On a personal level, this is the greatest tragedy. At the national level we are in battle, but we will win. We have returned to our country and our homeland, We have known triumphs and tragedies and our fight for this country is not over”.
The family members, including Ziv’s parents Daphna and Doron, as well as his brother, told the President about Ziv, and about the attack in which he was murdered. “Ziv was the light of the house, as his name indicated (Ziv meaning ‘radiance’ in Hebrew),” said his mother Daphna. “Ziv was a child who cared for everyone. He was a beloved brother and a great son”, she said, recalling her son’s strong bond with his grandparents. “Ziv was very close to his grandmother. He didn’t stop caring for my mother, his grandmother, and he was diligent in calling and asking after her well-being at every opportunity. Every Friday when he returned from the army, his grandmother would prepare all his favorite foods for him. Now Ziv watches over us from above”.
President Rivlin warmly greeted Ziv’s grandparents, who told him about their roots in Jerusalem and about Alon Mizrachi, Ziv’s uncle who was killed in the terror attack at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem in 2003. The President listened to them, and expressed his hope that they would know no more sorrow. He stressed, “As residents of Jerusalem we are aware, we’ve been through very difficult times and have paid a heavy price for our return to our country. This is a difficult time but we shall overcome.”
