The military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem held the funeral of Captain Shilo Har Even, a resident of Anatot in Binyamin, who fell in battle with terrorists in Nahal Oz.
Captain Shiloh Har Even is laid to rest, the eulogy of Tamar, spouse // Efrat Forsher
Shiloh, 25, enlisted in the Egoz Patrol and served in command positions in the Sayeret, until about eight months ago he was given command of the operational company in Golani's 13th Battalion, with the challenging Nahal Oz sector under his responsibility. Last Saturday he stayed with his soldiers at the base, and when the murderous attack began in the south, he led his soldiers to Nahal Oz, and fiercely defended the communities of Nahal Oz and Saad.
Shilo was the first to charge in battle against hundreds of terrorists, and even when he was wounded, he refused to evacuate and abandon his soldiers and civilians, and continued, with a heroic decision, to fight the terrorists. Even when he knew he would never get out of the battle alive. The battle lasted for hours, during which Shiloh and his subordinates succeeded in eliminating dozens of terrorists, but the company, which was few against too many, was mortally wounded. Among them was Shiloh, who continued to fight, until he was overwhelmed and fell.
Carrying Shiloh's coffin, Mount Herzl, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
As the Har Even family left for the funeral, hundreds of Anatot residents stood on the side of the road with Israeli flags, in an act of last respect for the fallen member of the community. Among the people standing there with the flags was the family of 22-year-old Liel Itach, who was murdered at a party while protecting his girlfriends, was buried on Monday and his family still sits shiva on him in the community.
The residents of Anatot in a chain of human flags accompany the family of Captain Shiloh Har Eban, on their way to the funeral on Mount Herzl // Eli Ezra
At the funeral, Tamar, his partner, herself a company commander in the army, eulogized him, saying: "The first thought is that Shiloh was present exactly where and when he was supposed to be, because that's the person he is. He always told me, if I'm dying, it's just for the country. So the question of why he doesn't concern me."
"The second thought is that once the war began, I don't see any other way Shiloh would have lived in this world, knowing that he was alive and his subordinates were killed, kidnapped or wounded, and that Kibbutz Nahal Oz, under his responsibility, was occupied. He was alive dead. So there was just no other option." Tamar told about her best friend, son, brother, grandson and revered commander.
"You will be our light in the great darkness", Sheila's parents, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"To me, he was the best partner in the world. We planned to get engaged this year, get married next year, start a family together in the State of Israel, which we love so much. He was and will remain the light in my life," Tamar said, adding: "Most of our conversations were about the army, command and politics. He insisted that he was going to be prime minister, so I started gathering a constituency that promised they would vote for him at the ballot box in ten years. Anyone who knows Shiloh knows that if he were alive, he really would be prime minister."
In a choked voice, she assured him: "I will never forget you. I will continue to live and serve and study and get married, because that's what you want, and we're strong. I'm strong. When you died, you commanded so many living people, and the people of Israel will rise from the tragedy that befell us and we will live and do all the things you loved. Life will continue because of you and in your shadow."
25 years old at the time of his death, Shilo Har Even, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Sheila's parents, Ingrid and Benny, eulogized him: "Our hearts were torn from within us. The pain, sorrow and loss are unbearable and have no words. The way you fell, the way you lived - always a leader, always a leader, always a professional, fearlessly made, with a cohesive and reasoned worldview. Giving and negotiating without limit, all with wisdom, joie de vivre, a big heart, love of country, always the hero."
"We swear to you that in the difficult times that are right for us, when we will have to deal every day, hour and minute, with your death, with the destruction and the void and the sorrow, you will be a light to us in the great darkness, as you have been in your life. We will go along, we will be your witnesses and we will do our best to continue to be worthy of you, because you loved us so much, because in your death I commanded us to live and we have no right to despair."
Shiloh left behind two parents, Benny and Ingrid, and two brothers, Nevo and Eitam. After his death, he was promoted to major.
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