Netanyahu and Chaya Schijveschuurder
Netanyahu and Chaya SchijveschuurderMeir Ben-Gershom

Awards were given Thursday, Independence Day, to 120 soldiers who had demonstrated excellence in service. Among them was Chaya Schijveschuurder, who lost her parents and three of her six siblings in the terrorist bombing of the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001.

The Schijveschuurder orphans were pushed back into the spotlight in late 2011 with the release from prison of Ahlam Temimi, an unrepentant female terrorist involved in the Sbarro attack. Siblings Leah, Meir and Shuvel expressed feelings of betrayal and disappointment at Temimi’s release.

Chaya Schijveschuurder met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah after getting her award from President Shimon Peres. She told the couple that she loves Israel and plans to stay in the country.

Netanyahu told her “We are proud of you today, and proud of you every day for how you cope with the hardest blow of all.”

He promised, “We will make every effort to help you and help your family so that you can built your lives… flourish, and excel.”