Eitam and Naama Henkin
Eitam and Naama HenkinCourtesy of the family

Dr. Yagil Henkin, the brother of Rabbi Eitam Henkin, posted a Facebook status on Sunday, upbraiding police officials for not speaking with families of terror victims to announce their loved ones' deaths. 

Rabbi Eitam Henkin and his wife Naama were brutally murdered in front of their four children on Thursday night in a shooting attack between Itamar and Elon Moreh in Samaria. 

"Nobody officially informed us about the murder," Henkin revealed. "I was really surprised by this. I did not expect the officer [who informs families of soldier's deaths] to come for civilians, but like everyone who lost a family member before, I assumed that the police would at least call relatives when their loved ones die. But no, not at all.

"Almost *all* of the family members, from both sides, received the news in the form of calls or text messages from people who know us," Henkin explained. "In some cases, in the form of text messages from friends or acquaintances with good intentions, who did not realize we didn't know yet."

"In my case," Henkin added, "I was at a concert...only at the end at 10:42 p.m. - my mother called me to say she couldn't reach Eitam, who I didn't even know was in the area. A minute later I received a text message saying my brother had been killed. When I returned to my mother, she had also heard about it."

At the end of the Facebook post, Henkin noted that the text message had been sent to him after a news website had already declared the names of the victims as "released for publication."

"Someone 'released for publication' the news of the murder, but *no official bothered to tell the family*," Henkin charged. "People posted pictures of the car with the license plates and the information that a couple had been murdered and their four children were uninjured was broadcast almost an hour before the names were released." 

"If I hadn't been at the concert, I obviously would have connected the dots before. But no one bothered to inform us officially."

Henkin offered two conclusions: "1. If you publish a scoop, blur details. You posted an image of vehicle with the license number? You've posted names and identities. 2. Don't assume that if you know, and even if the details have been released, the family knows. While this doesn't sound logical, perhaps [as in our case] no one bothered to tell them."