Amichai Merhavia
Amichai MerhaviaCourtesy of the family

Tova Merhavia, mother of Amichai Merhavia who was killed in the battle in Bint Jbeil during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, passed away during the Sabbath.

Her funeral will take place on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in the synagogue in the town of Eli in the Binyamin region.

Amichai's parents were among the founders of the town of Ofra in the Binyamin region and later moved to Yamit, an Israeli community in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula which Israel handed over to Egypt in 1982. Amichai was born in the midst of the struggle to stop the withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, and when he was two, the family moved to Eli which was then being established.

Tova said at Amichai’s funeral, "We were privileged to be with you for a short time, and for that we are thankful. It is hard to imagine our family unit without you. We will miss you. When Bracha, your little sister, heard about the tragedy, she brought a branch that you gave her and on which were engraved the words: ‘There is no despair in the world at all.’ Amichai, we have no choice but to fulfill your will."