Seven months after her husband was gunned down in front of their 10-year-old son, the widow of Israeli police investigator Elad Winkelstein has given birth to the couple’s baby boy.
Winkelstein, 36, was among three Israelis killed in a West Bank terror attack near the village of Funduq earlier this year. Also killed were Rachel Cohen and Aliza Reiss, residents of the Kedumim settlement. Elad was driving with his young son when he was fatally shot. At the time, his wife Tal had just entered her 10th week of pregnancy.
On Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love, Tal gave birth to their son, whom she named Gilad Menachem.
“I was sure I would lose the baby without Elad by my side,” she said. “But over time I understood this was a mission placed before me. I know it will be difficult, but this child will bring us light and joy at home. That’s what children give us.”
She explained the choice of name: “I called him Gilad Menachem. He was born in the month of Menachem Av, and ‘Gilad’ reminds me of Elad, like a memorial stone. ‘Menachem’ is for comfort, because there is consolation in this month.”
Gilad is Tal’s third child and Elad’s third son. The slain officer also left behind his toddler son Omer and 10-year-old Neve from a previous marriage.
Tal acknowledged the challenges of raising children without their father.
“There is the practical side — you need to depend on others and ask for help — and the emotional side of a child growing up without a father, especially a father like Elad,” she said. “He was unique. He knew that family came first. Even when he was offered advancement in the police, he thought first about home and the children. When he was with them, it wasn’t just about watching them — he created experiences with them.”
Despite the loss, she said she remains determined.
“I won’t break,” she said. “I believe I will raise my children in the healthiest way possible. I feel our story is part of something larger, and I hope it brings us closer to redemption. I want to raise my children in the best way I can.”