IDF soldier Tamir Nimrodi, whose body was returned this week from Hamas captivity, was laid to rest on Thursday at the Kfar Saba Cemetery.
His funeral was attended by Minister Nir Barkat (Likud), MK Eli Dalal (Likud), former IDF Chiefs of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Herzi Halevi, former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo, who resides in Nirit, and German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert.
Tamir’s father, Alon Nimrodi, eulogized his son with deep emotion, saying, “How many times have I spoken, how many times have I told your story, how many times have I pleaded, shouted, cried out for you. And now? Now I cannot find the words. I do not know what to write.
My beloved and precious Tamir. How does a father eulogize his son? In what kind of world should a father have to stand and eulogize his firstborn child?”
He recounted the family’s two-year struggle since Tamir’s abduction, recalling, “From the first moment it was clear that you had been taken, when I saw your beautiful, gentle face filled with terror and fear as the terrorists beat you and your friends, I knew I was going to fight to bring you home, to bring back your smile. And I fought. We all fought, in every possible way.”
Addressing his son, he said, “Tamir, my son, you were pure magic. Bright, sharp, articulate, with a smile that melted hearts and hugs that could break ribs. My Tamir, my brave boy. You struggled with anxiety and took medication for it, but when you enlisted, you stopped. You fought your own fears with courage.”
In closing, Alon said, “My Tamir, I am sorry. I am sorry I couldn’t bring you home alive. I wish I could have done more, changed something, anything. Forgive me, my beloved firstborn. Forgive me.”
He added a message to the families of the remaining hostages: “We must not forget or abandon the 19 hostages still in Gaza. It is our duty, as a people, to do everything possible to bring them home. It is the sacred responsibility of the State of Israel not to stop, not for a single moment, until the last hostage returns.”
Later, Alon Nimrodi raised a glass and made a toast in his son’s memory, saying: “Until you returned, I would drink a shot every day to your life, now I drink one to your memory.”
Tamir’s sister, Amit Nimrodi, also delivered an emotional eulogy. “My brother. It’s over. You are finally home. In my worst nightmares, I never imagined I would have to eulogize you. I sit here writing and don’t really know what to say. How can I possibly sum up an entire life in a few short words? I was the lucky one. I was blessed with the best brother I could ever ask for, and it breaks my heart that we only had 14 years together.”
She continued, “Those were the best 14 years I could have ever hoped for. You were my best friend. I miss you. I miss the nights we would stay up talking about everything. I miss your hugs when you came home from the army. I miss the nights we would sleep together in your room. Now I sleep there alone every night. I miss you, my brother. I miss you so much it hurts in every part of my body.”
“For two years I waited for you,” she said. “We waited for closure, we waited for a hug, but at the same time we dreaded the knock on the door. And no matter how much we tried to prepare ourselves for the worst, nothing could have prepared us for the moment they told us you would not be coming home.”
She concluded, “I love you, my brother. I love you more deeply than words can express. My brother, I am saying goodbye, but not really, because you are always with me, everywhere, all the time. I will remember you forever, my brother. Protect the world, my sweet boy.”
