Shulamit Rimmel, the mother of Efraim who lost his wife Tzipi and daughter Noam and who himself was severely injured along with his son in the Givat Ze'ev Junction collision, spoke today about Efraim and Itai's conditions, and about dealing with the tragedy.
"We survive day by day; we go to the hospital every day to sit with Efraim and Itai and wait for a miracle to happen," said Shulamit on Reshet Bet. "Efraim is waiting for spinal surgery and we still don't know what will come of that surgery. He's currently sedated and under respiration and they don't know what will happen to him.
"Itai has a very serious head injury, he also has orthopedic problems which are small compared to the head injury. We wait and know that all the nation of Israel is praying with us and we're all praying for miracles."
Shulamit mentioned that Efraim and Tzipi have three other children besides Noam who was killed in the collision and Itai who was injured, and that the parents of the late Tzipi moved in with them at their home in Neve Tzuf: "At the funeral they say 'G-d gave and G-d took away.' We've been given this new mission to care for the children who are still alive and we know that we have a very long way to go, rehabilitation for Efraim and with G-d's help for Itai, too."
The family is expected to face huge expenses in renovating the home and providing access: "We went fundraising and we know everyone wants to help; we get endless phones and we ask people to pray and pray some more and also do what they can to help the children.
"The kids know there was an accident and Mom is no longer; we told them the truth. They know they are no longer with us and they're not coming back. About Efraim and Itai they know they were hurt in the legs and the head. Can they digest it? How can a 4-year-old boy digest his mother isn't coming home?
"They asked me this morning when they could come to visit Dad and I hope we get to the stage that after surgery he'll wake up and be able to talk to them. At the moment they cannot come to visit him in hospital when he's down,” the grandmother said.
Shulamit described the details of the collision as she understands it: "They were at a traffic light on the way home at Givat Ze'ev Junction and this crazy driver decided he wanted to go, so he drove at 150 kph and he just rammed into their back like a missile. We talked to Efraim at the hospital and he said he couldn't remember what happened and asked if it was his fault. Tzipi and Noam were killed at the scene and Itai and Efraim were rescued and sent to the hospital."
About the feelings toward the offending driver, Shulamit said: "Being angry with him won't bring them back. I hope at least he gets punishment for what he deserves. He deserves not to be on the road again, that's for sure. I don't know if it was intentionally an attack or just driving crazy, it won't return us to the situation it was before. Inside, there's no doubt I'm angry that he destroyed our family."
The Neve Tzuf community where the family lives asks the general public to pray for the father of the family Efraim Tzvi Moshe Ben Shulamit Tzvia and his son Itai Yaakov Ben Tzipora.