Aviva Silberman, mother of Sergeant Major Uriel Silberman, who was killed in battle in Gaza on Friday, called for unity just before boarding a plane on her way to Israel, after traveling to Switzerland to help her parents pack their belongings for immigration to Israel.
"I'm at an airport in Switzerland. I went to Switzerland to help my parents pack their belongings, because they intend to immigrate to Israel soon," she said.
She added that, "I was notified here that Uriel Aviad, our dear son, fell in Gaza, as a hero."
"I want to tell you about Uriel, we called him cute Uriel, but now he is Uriel the hero. Uriel had a heart of gold. He always respected his parents and grandparents first. As a young child he always ran to give respect to his grandparents, he respected us. He was a boy who loved to cook, to pamper all the people around him. Even in the army they said that he always made delicious food."
"He volunteered to serve in the army. They didn't call him up now, but he made sure that he was called. He wanted to fight, to be there for the people of Israel. He had to lose weight to get into the tanks corps. In ten days he lost 11 kilos, in order to be accepted."
Silberman later told the story of her family and said, "My husband emigrated from Denmark, I immigrated from Switzerland - both of us for Zionist reasons. We wanted to live in the Land of Israel. This is where we wanted to raise a Religious Zionist family, in the Land of Israel. We did it, thank God we did it. We have six children, two amazing daughters-in-law, two lovely granddaughters. Uriel has a wonderful girlfriend and we all can't believe and have not yet understood that this has happened to us."
Silberman said that she wants to convey a message: "I think it is so important at this time and I say this sadly as a member of a new family, the family of bereavement. I never expected in my life to be part of this family. The unity. We must be united. The people of Israel must be united."
"Seventeen years ago I founded an association called 'Aviv Association for Holocaust Survivors.’ In this association, we all work together – religious, secular, leftist and rightist, and we all help Holocaust survivors get the maximum rights they deserve.
"I want there to be unity in the country, always, not only in times of war. When the people of Israel were united, even when they had an evil king, he was successful in wars."
She continued, "You in the media, please report the positive news. The people of Israel are strong, there are so many good people here, so many people doing good things. Report some positive news, good news, all the good that is in our nation. We have an amazing people – my son fell as a hero and a sacrifice, so that we can continue to live in the Land of Israel."
In conclusion she said, "I have spoken to my friends in Switzerland. I have told them to immigrate to Israel. This is your home. Yes, the sacrifice is difficult and heavy, but our future is only here in the Land of Israel - may his memory be blessed."