A poem written by Ori Ansbacher, the 19-year-old Israeli national service volunteer who was murdered last week in Jerusalem, was released to the public Monday after it was found in the youth center where Ansbacher worked.
Ansbacher, a native of the Israeli town of Tekoa, south of Jerusalem, had been serving in the civilian national service as an alternative to army duty. As part of her service, Ansbacher had worked in the Yaelim Center for at-risk youth in southern Jerusalem.
After hours, Ansbacher would frequently spend time alone in the nearby Ein Yael forest, where she would write poetry.
One of the last poems Ansbacher wrote was found in the Yaelim Center, and later made its way to Kan, which published the poem.
The poem reads in part: “Make it so your world will be a world of peace. Remember the maiden you are, the honey you had before they descended upon you, re-establish yourself, revive the maiden and build yourself a world, a world of peace.”
Ansbacher was reported missing Thursday morning, and her remains were discovered Thursday night at approximately 7:00 p.m. Her body was found stripped naked in the Ein Yael forest, with multiple stab wounds in the chest.
Israeli security forces later apprehended Arafat Arafiah, a 29-year-old Palestinian Arab from Hevron who had illegally entered Jerusalem with a knife.
Arafiah later confessed to raping and murdering Ansbacher, and reenacted the murder for police.
The Shin Bet internal security agency said Sunday that based on Arafiah's statements, the murder appeared to be a nationalistically-motivated act of terrorism.