3 years since Kerem Shalom attack
Noam and Aviva Shalit take part in memorial service for their son's commander Hanan Barak three years after his death in the same attack Gilad was kidnapped in. 'I will try to live as best as I can, until we meet again,' Hanan's mother Nela says over his grave
The parents of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, Noam and Aviva, took part on Sunday in the memorial service for Lt. Hanan Barak, who was killed three years ago in the same terrorist attack their son was kidnapped during.
Later this week another memorial service will be held for Staff Sgt. Pavel Slotzker, who was also killed in the cross-border attack at Kerem Shalom on June 25th 2006.
Family and friends spoke of their loss as mourners assembled at Barak's grave. His girlfriend Orit said that every Sunday – the day he was killed – she remembers Hanan and longs deeply for him.
His mother, Nela: "It's wrong to think that time dulls the pain, the opposite is true. Time makes the reality unbearable and the emotional pain becomes a physical pain.
"When people ask me how I am, I say I'm 'surviving.' Because there's no other possibility. I'm glad that I can recall the smallest details (about Hanan), even if my memory isn't what it used to be."
The bereaved mother addressed her son directly as she spoke, saying "soon we'll celebrate your birthday, on the 18th of August. Although you are not with us, because you will always stay 21 years old, there are things to mark, like memorial days and birthdays, that's how I feel connected to you. I will try to live as best as I can, until we meet again."
The memorial service ended with singer Guy Shahar performing 'Nearly 21,' a song composed by Danny Robas to lyrics written by Hanan's brother Yishai, who accompanied Shahar on guitar.
