Family: Why the two of them together?
Kineret and Matat, two cousins murdered in Sunday's shooting attack, brought to rest; Yisrael Adler eulogizes his newlywed wife
Hundreds attended the funeral processions of Matat and 23-year-old Kineret Mendel on Monday. The two cousins from the Carmel settlement were murdered together in Sunday's shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction.
All those who eulogized Matat – her husband Yisrael, her father Naftali and her teacher Neta – spoke of a modest young girl, a diligent scholar, who used to smile readily and devoted herself entirely to helping others.
Kineret's mother eulogized her daughter, saying that "There is not one person in the world who could say a bad word about you. You were a saint. We thank God for the years he gave us with you."
Together in sadness and song
In their eulogies, the family members mentioned their grandfather Eliezer, who immigrated to Israel on his own after losing his wife and son in the Holocaust.
"Matat and Kineret, ask Grandpa Eli to go to Abraham and tell him, 'You sacrificed your son once, why do I have to sacrifice three times?'" they said.
Dozens of people at the cousins' funeral (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Towards the end of the eulogy, Yisrael asked to sing the Hassidic tune that played when he led Matat to the Chuppah at their wedding. The dozens of people who arrived at the funeral joined in on the tune, and for a few minutes the entire audience stood together and sang.
The third attack victim, 14-year-old Oz Ben-Meir from the Maon settlement in south of Mount Hebron, was buried Monday morning at the Sousia Cemetery.
Several injured still hospitalized
Meanwhile, the Hadassah Ein Karen Hospital reported an improvement in the situation of the youths who were injured in the attack. A 14-year-old boy is still hospitalized in moderate-to-serious condition at the hospital's intensive care unit. An IDF soldier is hospitalized in moderate condition at the orthopedic department.
A slight improvement has also been noted in the condition of the wounded hospitalized in the Shaarei Tzedek Hospital.
A 14-year-old boy from the settlement of Eli, who is suffering from a chest and liver injury, is hospitalized in moderate condition at the hospital's intensive care unit.
Another 19-year-old boy is hospitalized in light condition after being injured in his knee.
