President Reuven Rivlin held a condolence visit to the family of Staff Sergeant Ronen Lubarsky, who was wounded during an operation in Ramallah and died of his injuries two days later.
The President warmly embraced Lubarsky's parents and brothers and expressed deep regret over the loss. He related how much he had heard about Ronen and the man who he was, and said, "We prayed so hard that a miracle would happen for us and we were so downcast. He served in a magnificent unit and had a wonderful family."
His brother and his parents told the President about the deep love for country that was in Ronen and how the first thing anyone saw in his room was the State flag spread on the wall. The President said excitedly that as a person who was a child when the State arose he merited to see the flag of Israel rise for the first time to the top of the mast, so he knows that this was not self-evident at all and that Ronen's strong connection to the country is evident in everything said about him.
"Ronen wanted to go on with the unit as much as possible. I didn't know exactly why until I met the men of the unit who surrounded him - at the shiva," his brother Aryeh related, "He glowed when he was with them and when they were around him and that was all he had in mind."
Mother Elena, who spoke to the President only on Friday, said that when she became aware of the mass prayers by the entire nation for his recovery, she said to herself: "'The whole nation is praying, it can't be that we won't be answered', but apparently plans were different. We were so moved by the embrace of the people and we are grateful for it. Without that I don't know how I could have gone on, it really gives strength and I feel much stabler thanks to it."
"The strength you radiate is what strengthens the entire nation," the President told her, and embraced the family warmly before leaving.