Sergeant Major (res.) Assaf Pinchas Tubul, z"l, a soldier in the 77th Battalion, the "Saar Megolan" Brigade (7), fell as a result of an anti-tank missile hit in the southern Gaza Strip. He was laid to rest on Thursday. Assaf is survived by his parents and seven siblings.
Father Meir: "I shout to be heard from Metula to Eilat - there is no left, no right! We are all one people!" // Photo: Shmuel Buchris
Father Meir painfully eulogized us: "Assaf my dear child, our youngest son. A father does not need to eulogize his son. How could it be, such a great disaster? Instead of the old man marrying you, I take myself out on this damn day, eulogizing you. I strengthened you on Saturday night, we talked about how important the country is. We talked about how much we need to defend ourselves against the enemies who want to harm us. I told you that the time has come for the young people to stand up bravely and protect the country. I asked you to take care of yourself and your friends."
"Your modesty and humility were extraordinary"
"Excuse me, I couldn't keep you safe," he added through tears. "You never bothered us with little things. You told me we've done enough for you, it's time for you to do it for us now. Your modesty and humility was extraordinary. My dear child, this morning your commander came to us and told us about the last battle, how you fought valiantly for the defense of the country and fell as a hero. You didn't suffer after the tank was hit, and that's a bit of comfort in the midst of the great grief."
"We mourn your passing, but there will be more joys in the family. That's what you'd want. I promise that we will do everything that will be the case. This will be our great victory as a family and as a people. Assaf, you fell in the battle for the sanctity of the land and the people. In defense of our beloved homeland. In such a just war. The past year has seen our people in a division the likes of which we have never known. I ask the people of Israel, I did not lose my son so that we can continue with our brotherly hatred. Stop the baseless hatred. Our strength is in our unity. This is the great, real victory and the only way to prove to all our adversaries that our true strength lies in our unity. We are all brothers and sisters."
"And I shout to be heard from Metula to Eilat. Let's wake up. There is no left, no right. There are no religious, no secular. There are no Sephardim, no Ashkenazim. We are all brothers. We are all one people. It is possible and desirable to argue but to do so respectfully and in a down-to-earth manner. Let's do it with unconditional love. That's my message from this grave section."
Brother Jonathan eulogized: "We were supposed to meet at our brother Daniel's wedding, instead I meet you here in the closet" // Photo: Shmuel Buchris
"I pray to God, even though He has not heard my prayer. Take care of the soldiers and our people, and I hope that this time my prayer will be answered. Assaf, my dear child, rest in peace. Pray for us and for our wonderful people. We will always remember you and do everything possible to fulfill your entire will. We will preserve the unity of the family and the nation and we will continue, with all our sorrow, with our daily routine. The people of Israel are alive and the eternity of Israel will not lie."
"The soul knows when its time is"
Assaf's brother, Daniel, also eulogized, saying: "Assaf, my little brother, can't digest that I have to write farewell words about you. Assaf was a good boy. Good man. Always with good energy, with a smile, love everyone. Assaf was a smart guy. He insisted on enlisting, joining his comrades in the war. He wanted to join, to take part. Why did you insist? It is said that the soul knows when its time is. You knew. You called each of us a few days before you walked in, saying you loved us. Felt. Knew. I love you Assaf, we will never forget you."
Daniel added: "I'm supposed to get married in two weeks. You promised you would come. You loved Mom and Dad and they adored you. How come we won't see you grow up and start a family? We will forever have a hole in our hearts in your image. I love you. G-d, take it to you. They say you take the best. Keep it close to you. Give him a chair of honor. The Lord gave and the Lord took, may the name of the Lord be blessed. Blessed be the Judge of truth."
"I'm waiting for you to jump up and say it was a joke."
His brother Jonathan also eulogized: "Assaf, how do I want you to jump up now and tell me you're kidding. Which is a joke. I miss even our car trips. You confidently told me you were coming in, and from that moment on I didn't know how I was going on. But you didn't hesitate. We were supposed to meet at Daniel's wedding. This was our first meeting in Israel. Instead, I meet you here in the closet."
Certificates of excellence of Assaf Pinchas Tubul, photo: Michel Makhl
Assaf's sister tearfully eulogized: "My little brother, since you were a child you loved to help. Before you entered Gaza, I told you, 'Don't enter.' But you answered me with the hero's phrase, 'I need to protect my family.' I ask you to protect us from heaven as well. I ask your forgiveness on behalf of all brothers. Forgiveness and forgiveness. Maybe you were hurt by us, it wasn't on purpose."
His brother Yechiel also spoke: "Assaf, my dear brother. A man with a heart, charming, smiling, who laughs at every backward joke in the world. You enlisted and we attended every ceremony you had. We saw that you excelled at everything. You did everything the best you could. In our last conversation you told me that you love me. I love you very much. I ask you to protect us from above."
"A special and gentle personality"
Tubul studied at the Farchi Aharon Yeshiva High School in Kiryat Shaul and was the youngest of seven siblings in a family of fighters. Meir, his father, said that at first Assaf wanted to enlist in Unit 890, where he served. "He couldn't, so he went to the armor like his brothers." Only last July was he discharged from regular service.
"He wasn't called at first on October 7. He said his friends were there and wanted to be called," his father says. In their last conversation, Assaf said that he was right at the border, adding that "every time and again I repeated the Zionism and love of the country that I instilled in him and how important it is for him personally and for his generation to do this."
Kiryat Motzkin council member Tziki Avisar eulogized him: "22-year-old Assaf, Esther and Meir's son, studied elementary school at the Mitzpe school and is a graduate of the <>th cohort of the "Flowers of Aharon" yeshiva high school in Kiryat Shmuel, where they testified that he was a "special and gentle personality." Assaf is also the nephew of Raya Tubul, principal of Ort Dafna Middle School in Kiryat Bialik. The Motzkin community, with all its strength and sensitivity, will forever accompany and embrace the Tubul family and the memory of the heroic Assaf."
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