Bereaved father Hagai Luber shared an emotional and personal moment on Tuesday morning during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, held as part of the discussion on the Draft Law. Luber told the committee that his daughter-in-law Aviya, the widow of his son Yonatan, who fell in battle, had got engaged.
Luber recounted that he had attended “one of the happiest events of my life” the previous evening. “My daughter-in-law, the wife of my son Yonatan who was killed, got engaged yesterday. It was very joyful, with dancing and singing,” he said.
“We were there, and I want to tell you that even though it was a happy event, it wasn’t easy,” he continued. “It was right for Aviya to remarry, and it is right that her two boys will have a father - but it was still difficult.”
Calling on MKs to adopt a responsible and courageous approach to the Draft Law, Luber said: “Learn from my daughter-in-law Aviya - you do the right thing even when it is hard. What you are discussing now is the right thing. Advancing a real draft law, with real sanctions and meaningful benefits, is difficult - but it is right. And therefore you must legislate this law.”
During his remarks, Luber held up a photograph of his fallen son and addressed the committee members: “Look at him - this is the world of Torah. This is a boy who learned Torah and understood that the Torah gives a clear directive: it is an obligation to go to the army, especially if you are a Torah student. My son went to the army - and for him, it was a mitzvah.”
Luber then presented the photo as a gift to the committee chairman, MK Boaz Bismuth, adding: “Whenever you hear the false claim that drafting into the IDF harms the world of Torah - before you repeat it in the media - look at the face of my holy son and understand that this is a lie. The world of Torah and the army are one and the same.”
