Twelve-year-old Tuvia’s friends and teachers are struggling to cope with the sudden loss. "Tuvia was a unique student," says one of the Rabbis at the Jerusalem school where he studied. "A blossoming young boy, with a great thirst for knowledge and exceptional qualities. We always saw him with a book in his hand, immersed in learning. This is an incomprehensible tragedy."
"Everyone loved him," adds the Rabbi. "Always with a smile on his face, always ready to help his friends. I don't know how the children will manage to digest this, because we, the educators, have been crying all night."
Tuvia was the son of Rabbi Zusha Simcha, head of a yeshiva in Beitar Illit. "The family is always involved in Torah and doing kindness," said a close friend of the family.
Tuvia followed in his father's footsteps, who was deeply involved in spreading Torah on a large scale and had personally established two yeshivas within a few years. It is difficult to describe the magnitude of the loss.
The school administration published guidelines this morning for parents on how to talk to their children about the tragic event, in which they emphasized that in cases of extreme responses, they should seek professional counseling.
"In the coming days, we will talk to the students," said the teacher. "We will try to explain, strengthen, and console. But the truth is that there are no words."
Tuvia, a 12-year-old, was murdered last night in a shooting attack in Gush Etzion, while returning with his family from his sister's Sheva Brachot [post wedding] celebration in Beitar Illit.