Rabbi Yaakov Mosbacher of Avnei Eitan, a moshav in the Golan Heights, was laid to rest Wednesday in the Hispin cemetery, just a month after his son Betzalel was killed in Gaza.
“Every time Betzalel’s name somehow came up, he would immediately start crying,” recalled his son Shmuel, in a brief and heartbreaking description of his father’s final weeks.
On July 27, Yaakov stood, sick and suffering, at the fresh grave of his son, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Betzalel Yehoshua, who succumbed to wounds sustained in battle in Gaza after he was critically injured when IDF vehicle struck an explosive in Khan Younis.
On Tuesday, the father died at age 69 after a short battle with cancer that had been discovered only weeks before his son’s death.
The past months have been a whirlwind of pain, fear and faint hope for the Mosbacher family, a large and close-knit household of 10 siblings. “About three months ago, dad was diagnosed with advanced cancer,” his son Shmuel told Ynet. “And then everything came at once, all at once.”
For the past two years, Yaakov had not spoken about any pain or troubling symptoms, focusing instead on his concern for his son, a reservist combat engineer in the 749th Engineering Battalion, in the 828th Infantry Brigade.
He was deeply worried that Betzalel would be killed. “The whole time Betzalel was in Gaza, dad kept thinking that’s what would happen to him,” Shmuel recalled. “He was very afraid and spoke constantly about his concern for his son's life."
The family’s worst fear came true. Betzalel Mosbacher, a 32-year-old combat engineer, husband to Maayan and father to Yael, was fatally wounded when his vehicle hit an explosive device in Khan Younis. He succumbed to his wounds about a week later and was buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. For his father Yaakov, it was a crushing blow.
“After Betzalel fell, dad kept saying how life is a tremendous gift, and how we as a family now need to care for Maayan and Yael,” said Shmuel. “You could feel that Betzalel’s death greatly weakened dad in his own battle for life.”
At his son’s funeral, Yaakov managed to stand, supported by a wheelchair. By the 30th day after Betzalel’s death, he was already hospitalized and unable to reach the cemetery. “He joined by video call from his hospital bed,” Shmuel recalled. “A week later, we had a conversation with the doctors, who explained to him and to us that this was his last week. It became a week of farewells. Friends and family all came to visit."
Relatives described Yaakov Mosbacher as a remarkable figure. “He was a personal adviser and worked with at-risk youth. He immigrated from the United States, where the family ran a large therapeutic farm for Jewish youth at risk. Even after moving to Israel, he continued working with youth in Israel, the U.S. and Europe, always traveling back and forth,” said Shmuel.
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At the funeral of Betzalel Yehoshua Mosbacher at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
In Israel, since the family immigrated three decades ago, their home was always open. “When I was growing up, there were always more kids joining us, like children who didn’t have a home. Father cared for them, and today they are part of the family,” he said.
Yaakov is survived by his wife, Channah, nine children, and many “adopted” children he supported in their youth. “Thanks to dad, these people are here today, they have families of their own, and they are moving forward. He saw it as an incredible mission,” Shmuel said. Yaakov never thought about retirement: “He would say, ‘As long as I have the energy and the ability, I will keep helping.’”
His son Betzalel shared the same spirit. He was a man of faith and work, devoted to the land of Israel, determined to serve in a meaningful combat role. He did not hesitate to report for reserve duty on Oct. 7 and fought through the long months of war that followed.
With the little strength he had left, Yaakov eulogized his son at the funeral, recalling his final week: “In that week, he parted quietly. G-d and he settled things a week earlier and G-d gave him the time. His life’s plan was executed,” he said in pain.
Later, when Yaakov realized his strength was fading, he asked his son Benny to read his final words at his grave. It was not a eulogy of mourning but a will to live.
“Enjoy every second of your lives; it is an amazing gift,” Benny read from his father’s letter. “Focus on this point: the human body has 37 trillion cells. We were given them as a gift, completely free - 37 trillion living, functioning, healthy cells at every moment of life. This symbolizes the incredible gift we received from G-d. We should live with that understanding. Enjoy and appreciate every second of your lives."
The funeral procession began at the family’s home in their agricultural moshav and ended at the cemetery in Hispin. Then his nine children and his daughter-in-law Maayan, the young widow, returned home and began sitting shiva again, just a month after they had last done so.
Amid the double bereavement, the large family draws comfort from one another. “On the one hand, it’s very strengthening to have a big family; we are in this together,” Shmuel said. “But it’s also been a whirlwind these past months, one the family has been swept into. We are really in this together, and that gives us a lot of strength."