"He always said - if you're already dying, it's only for the sake of the country": At the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the funeral was held this morning (Friday) of Major Shilo Har Even, a resident of Anatot in Binyamin, who fell in battle with terrorists in Nahal Oz.
Shiloh, 25, enlisted in the Egoz Patrol and served in command positions in the Sayeret until three months ago, when he was given command of the operational company in Golani's 13th Battalion, under his responsibility for the challenging Nahal Oz sector.
Captain Shilo Har Even is laid to rest, the eulogy of Tamar, spouse // Photo: Efrat Forsher
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, fiercely defending the communities of Nahal Oz and Saad. Shiloh 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 realized that he would not leave 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 is also Sheila. He continued to fight, until he was overwhelmed and fell.
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. Therefore, the question of why he does not 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."
Major Shiloh Har Even is laid to rest on Mount Herzl,
Tamar told about the beloved who was also her best friend - the son, brother, grandson and the revered commander. "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.
"Most of our conversations were about military, 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 Sheila knows that if he were alive, he really would be prime minister," she added. In a choked voice, she assured him, "I will never forget you. I will continue to live and serve, study and marry, because that's what you want. In your death, you commanded so many living people, and the people of Israel will rise from the disaster 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, the funeral of 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, even the way you lived, always leading, always a leader, always a professional, fearlessly made, with a cohesive and reasoned worldview. Giving and negotiating without limit, and 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 our light in the great darkness, as you were 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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