A Letter From Rebbetzin Tzipporah Heller Regarding The Tragic Terrorist Act In Har Nof

Dear friends,

Yesterday at about 7am my daughter Miri called. "Mordechai just came
home from shul. He said that Arabs came in and are shooting, and that
a man with an axe is hitting everyone. Some of the people threw chairs
at them, but it didn't help". The twelve year old had hit the floor
along with everyone else when the bullets began to fly. He was fully
aware of what was going on, and what it meant. He somehow found the
courage to let go of his father's hand, crawl towards the exit and
break into a run. Some of you know Miri and her family. She has had
some of you over for Shabbos and holidays, and others sleeping in one
of her kid's bedrooms when the crowd at my house gets too big to
accommodate sanely. Mordechai is blonde, freckled, and a soft spoken
somewhat introverted and studious boy, much like his father, Shmuli.
He is not Huck Finn, and the courage he found at those moments were a
gift straight from G-d. By the time he finished telling Miri what
happened, sirens from Hatzalah ambulances, police cars, and Magen
David could be heard telling her that there were casualties. "Where's
Shmuli" was the thought that entered her mind again and again as the
seconds which felt like hours began to tick. She called me and said,
"Say Tehillim. There is shooting in Bnei Torah". I began to say the
ancient prayers, stopped myself and called Rabbi Weidan, and told him
what was happening. I then began the Tehillim again, knocked on my
neighbor's door and told her to do the same. Chani called and told me
to look at the news to see what was really happening. Nothing was
reported as yet. Of course not. It was only 7:10.

I realized that the whether or not the attack was over, that no one as
yet knew whether the murderers escaped. I called again, asking that
everything be done to see that no one leaves the campus, and then
called Miri. Thank G-d she had the sense to stay indoors and not run
to the besieged synagogue. When Mordechai came home, the shooting was
still happening. By 7:20 we both realized that if she didn't hear from
Shmuli, something was very wrong. The police and other services had no
information as yet to give to the public, but a family friend who had
seen the terror with his own eyes, said that Shmuli had been taken to
Haddassah EIn Karem. When Mordechai let go of his hand, he
instinctively ran after the child placing himself in the sight of the
terrorists. One of them attacked him with his axe, hitting him on the
left side of his head, his back and his arm. Somehow he made it to the
door. Josh White, a student of Machon Shlomo was riding down Agassi on
his bike. He noticed what he described later as "a lot of confusion"
in front of Bnei Torah asked someone what was going on, and
surprisingly (for Har Nof) the man answered him in Hebrew! In the
midst of what to him was gibberish, he picked up the word Aravim
(Arabs) and immediately grasped what was happening. He approached the
shul and saw Shmuli who was still aware. The Machon student took of
his shirt and stopped the bleeding, a move which may have saved
Shmuli's life. The shooting was still happening inside. It was
about7:15! The emergency crew drew back, but because SHmuli was
already outside, they evacuated him thus making him the first of the
wounded to be taken to Hadassah, another factor in his survival.
Before collapsing, he asked where Mordechai was, and when he was told
that the boy ran away from the carnage, he said, "Baruch Hashem".
Inside, the terrorists were continuing their "work". When they entered
they turned to their left, and immediately cut down Rabbi Twerski and
Rav Kalman Levine who were standing in the corner. Reb Kalman was the
husband of Chaya, formally Markowitz who was a student and later a
madrichah at Neve. Her husband was not a regular attendee of Bnei
Torah. He would generally daven in the earliest possible minyan so he
could get in a couple of hours of learning before beginning his day.
Yesterday he had a question about something he had learned and had
gone after davening to Bnei Torah to put the question to its erudite
rav, Rabbi Rubin. The question will now only be resolved in the
Heavenly Acadamy. Rev Avraham Goldberg, the third man to be killed is
Breina Goldberg's husband. Many of you know Breina as the warm caring
efficient secretary cum mother figure at the front desk in the
afternoon. I don't as yet know how her husband, or Reb Kupinski the
fourth victim met their deaths. The only thing that I know, is that it
was brutal and swift. The first policemen to enter were traffic cops
who knew what they were facing, and also knew that they were not
wearing protective gear. They entered anyway and together with the
forces that came afterwards ended the bloodbath. By 7:30 the murderers
were apprehended.

Miri, my daughter Guli, and her husband were in Hadassah. Miri's other
kids were watched by relatives and friends for the day. Mordechai was
urged to speak about what he saw again and again in order to diminish
the damage of the trauma he had undergone. The rest of the family
flowed in, saying Tehillim and waiting for updates. The hospital
social worker, Aviva, who is blessed with the rare gift of being
empathic without being overbearing, and the women of Ezer Mitzion (a
volunteer organization) kept us well supplied with food, calming
conversation and practical advice. We were allowed to see Shmuli who
was put under anesthesia. We don't know if he heard us or not, but we
were talking to him stressing that Mordechai was fine. In the hours
before the surgery was done, we found ourselves with Risa Rotman. Her
husband, Chaim Yechiel ben Malka, was also attacked, and the extent of
his wounds are very serious. Some of you may know Risa (who if I am
not mistaken also is an OBG) and those of you whose husbands learned
in Ohr Sameach or who recall Reb Meir Shuster who he helped
unstintingly for years, may know him as Howie. The policeman who
entered first, passed away. May Hashem avenge his blood.

Every day in Eretz Yisrael is a gift and a miracle. I have no
pretensions of knowing Hashem's will, but I do know that everything He
does is purposeful, and that His compassion that is often hidden from
the human eye. Anyone who values human life and reality and the
eternal nature of the soul is appalled by the idea of people entering
a synagogue and killing people who they never met randomly.

Except for CNN. They reported the entire event as an attack on a mosque.

Except for BBC. They reported that the Israeli police killed two
Palestinians (they meant the murderers). The victims of Israeli
brutality presumably were going on a stroll through scenic Har Nof
when attacked by the racist troops….

Please post the truth to whomever you can reach.

Please please continue saying Tehillim for Shmuel Yerucham ben Baila
and the other victims. Daven that Hashem give strength to the five new
widows and 24 new orphans. Most of all thank Hashem that we are not
Them, and treasure Hashem's Torah and His Land.

Love always,

Tziporah