
Hila Iluz, the mother of 1-year-old drowning victim David Yosef Iluz, spoke on Wednesday to Radio 103FM about her son's death.
The toddler was originally pulled from a tub of water in critical condition, but medical staff were later forced to declare him dead.
Hila, 35, said, "We live in a private house. We have dogs, and outside, there's a tub that they use for drinking. David Yosef loved water. He walked onto the porch when we were all at home, went up to the tub, and tried to reach the water. Because at this age most of the weight is in the child's head, he fell in and couldn't get out."
"Usually he's always beside me. There were 2-3 minutes when we went to do something and the door was a bit ajar. When I walked outside I didn't see him. I ran out straight away and found him there. I immediately took him to the other side of the house to find someone to help me. I didn't have the energy to scream. Within a few seconds people came and tried to help, and they called for help. I just didn't know what to do."
Hila also said that her sister volunteers with United Hatzalah.
"My sister Chani lives one street below me, and she's in United Hatzalah," Hila explained. "She and other United Hatzalah volunteers started helping and they did not give up until the last second. During their CPR, his breathing and heartbeat returned a few times, and it looked like he was coming back."
She also noted that she has three daughters, ages 10, 6.5, and 4.5, and that they were all home when her son drowned.
"Unfortunately, they saw everything that happened at the time," she said. "They went through a trauma, they were very connected to him. They miss him, our house is empty. They are being helped by professionals, but there is still an empty space that can't be filled. No matter how many people surround us, the loss of David Yosef will be a lack that cannot be filled."
The police did not interrogate them, she said.
"Everyone who came, came to sit with us and cry. Everyone who knows me, knows that my children are my entire world and are what's most important to me in the entire world."
Hila also thanked United Hatzalah, and said that the organization would open a course on how to save toddlers from similar situations in the future. The course, she said, would be named after her son. She also noted that the family is in contact with "very great rabbis, who help us strengthen our faith."
"At the end of the day, G-d is the one who runs the world," she said. "We need to give thanks for the bad as well, not just for the good."