On Thursday night, a memorial was held for Naama and Eitam Henkin, murdered last year in a brutal shooting attack while they drove home from visiting friends. Their four children were in the back of the car and saw their parents murdered, but the terrorists, who approached the car after the shooting to verify the parents' deaths, inexplicably, spared the children.
The memorial began in the cemetery, and from there, the procession made their way to Nishmat's campus in Jerusalem. Nishmat is a women's institute for training halakhic advisors established by Rabbi Eitam's mother, Rabbanit Chana Henkin.
Eitam's mother spoke at the event, saying, "Naama enchanted him from the first day. The two of them walked together and helped each other blossom. They were partners in everything. Naama supported the family so that our son could learn Torah. She was regal; I never once saw her raise her voice."
Sharona Friedman, a close friend of Naama's, told: "I was always amazed at the amount of knowledge that Naama had. My friends and I have felt the lack of her presence. When we were 14, Naama and I sat together in the front row in class. Since then, we had never been separated."
"I saw how Naama and Eitam completed each other. Naama and I did our National Service together, and we spoke about life: buying a home, building a family, our dreams for the future. Naama taught me to dare to dream. She gave me strength," Sharona added.
Friedman said that the last time she saw Naama was in Peduel, on Rosh Hashana, just a few days before the horrific attack in which her friend was murdered.
"On the 19th of Tishrei (the day she was murdered), Naama's clock stopped. A year has passed since then, a year of mourning and longing," she said. "How can it be that Naama will not merit to live these beautiful years, and to raise her children? In her, I had a true friend. I can't begin to describe the enormous lack I've felt in the past year since you've left me."
Deganit Staniyesky, another friend of Naama's, said that "a year ago, the world of graphic design lost a talented graphic artist. The lack that I feel is beyond description. I think that anyone who merited knowing Naama and hearing her wisdom feels the same way."
"I think that everyone can learn from Naama's life. Look around. See if there is anyone who needs help. Lend a hand, give a kind word. If someone needs help, offer it from the depths of your heart," Staniyesky added.
Last Sukkot, terrorists opened fire on the Henkin car on the road near Itamar, murdering Naama and Eitam Henkin in front of their children. Rescue workers who arrived at the scene took the traumatized children to their grandparents' home in nearby Peduel. They are being raised by their grandparents.