Elhai Taharlev
Elhai TaharlevFacebook

Yeshivas and rabbinical organizations expressed their sorrow at the murder Thursday morning of Elhai Taharlev, 20, a resident of the community of Talmon in the western Binyamin region and a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade.

Taharlev was murdered in a terrorist car ramming attack at the Ofra Junction. Another soldier was lightly wounded in the attack.

Taharlev's father is a well-known rabbinic and educational figure in Israel.

"We wish to grant strength to Rabbi Ohad and the entire Taharlev family in this difficult period. We pray for them and hope that they will be comforted in the consolation of Zion and Jerusalem,"

The Ohr Torah network of religious Zionist educational institutions also released a statement expressing grief over Taharlev's murder. "Our hearts are with our dear friend and colleague, the head of [Ohr Torah's] Midreshet Lindenbaum , Rabbi Ohad Taharlev, his wife Avital, their children, and all of their family members."

The hesder yeshiva in Tekoa, which Taharlev attended, released a statement saying: "We mourn the loss of our student, Elhai Taharlev. We send our condolences to his family and to all of Israel. Today, Elhai joins a long line of soldiers who gave their lives for the sanctity of God's name and for the nation and the land, and we pray that he is the last one."

The community of Talmon also issued a statement in response to the murder of one of its residents.

"On the eve of the Passover holiday, the Taharlev family and, with them, the community members in Talmon, received the tragic news. Dear Elhai of the community was murdered. A talented young man, modest, and very, very loved. The pain breaks the hearts of friends, neighbors, youth group members and all the residents of the community who knew Elhai and loved him."

"This is the third neighbor we are losing: Roi Arbel, father of 5; Gil-ad Shaar; and now Elhai Taharlev. All three were murdered in different parts of the Land on their way home, to their families, and were taken from us by evil human beings. Spring blossoms won't comfort us in our great pain. We embrace the family, and ask the Creator of the Universe that he put an end to our sorrows."

"We believe that we can overcome our enemies, and that we will."