Staff Sergeant Nave Habshoosh, who fell in battle in Lebanon last Thursday, was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl today (Sunday).
Naveh's mother, Einav, eulogized her son. “My beloved child, at your bar mitzvah I began with the words, ‘For this boy I prayed.’ How I longed for you, how deeply I loved you, how much I prayed for you. Today I stand here as a mother and cannot believe this reality. You were a sensitive boy with a huge heart. You possessed qualities that cannot be taught, they were simply part of who you were. I was privileged to witness, day after day, the greatness of your soul."
"A few months ago, we discovered that I was pregnant. It came as a complete surprise. At 46, we didn’t understand how I would carry this pregnancy, we wondered what G-d was asking of us. And then, from the moment the officers knocked on our door and delivered the news… within the great darkness that fell over our lives, I am carrying new life. As one beloved child was taken from me, my only son, there is now a heartbeat within me that compels me to rise each morning and keep living," Einav stated.
She said: "This pregnancy has not been easy. It began with difficulty and has continued through days when my heart has shattered into pieces. But I promise you, Naveh, that I will protect this baby with everything I have. Perhaps because I don’t have the strength to lose another child, and perhaps because this is the small gift you left me. Since Thursday morning, I’ve had intense pains, like contractions as though my body sensed and prepared itself to part from you."
She asked her son: "My Naveh, today I ask one final thing of you: send me strength. Help me get out of bed even on days when I don’t want to. Help me be the mother that Noam and Nesya need right now. Help me raise them with joy and faith, even when I feel my heart breaking with you. And when your little sister is born, ask for mercy for her from above, watch over her, protect her, and help me be a good mother to her as well."
"Please watch over your grandparents, your sisters, your father, and the whole family who misses you and loves you so deeply. Give us the strength to carry this pain and to keep living, even though part of our heart is gone.
"Before I say goodbye, I want to thank you for the privilege of being your mother. You will be my son forever. ‘For this boy I prayed,’ and for you I will continue to pray, to love, and to miss for all the days of my life. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord," she said.
Nahveh's father Haim said: “My dear son Naveh, your last message came on Thursday at 11:15 p.m. You wrote: ‘How are you, Dad? There’s a chance I might get out this Sunday next week, but don’t tell Mom so she won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen.’ About an hour later, the worst happened. You were taken up to heaven in a storm, together with the tank crew of Battalion 52. You wanted so much to make a difference, to take part in the fighting."
"My beloved Naveh, the only son in the family, you were my partner on countless hikes across this land. You were raised to love the country, and you loved it deeply. You paid the ultimate price so that we can continue to walk across it, from end to end," he said. "Dear Naveh, tens of thousands have come here to pay their respects, but not everyone knows who you truly were, and I want to tell them. You were an angel sent to us for far too short a time. Quiet, shy, humble, you spoke little and did so much. You always saw others, always thought of those around you before yourself. You were the last to turn off the light. And so it was in the tank, you were the last to be identified. We had to wait for you until this very morning. I tried calling you several times, but you didn’t answer. Still, your WhatsApp status remained the same: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’"
"Naveh did not fall in vain," Haim declared. "He fell so that we can continue to live here in safety, to grow and to flourish. This is what Naveh fought for, and this is what he gave his life for. The day we were destined to bury you is the longest day of the year, the day the sun stands still and salutes you.
"There was such a divine spark within you," he said to his son. "My beloved son, a hero of Israel. All my life, I’ve navigated by maps, but now I feel as though I’ve lost my compass. I don’t truly know how to go on without your smile, without knowing you’ll walk through the door any moment. Please, my Naveh, light the way for us. Thank you for the privilege of being your father. Thank you for the light you brought into our lives. We will carry you with us on every path and at every step. We will continue to remember you and to tell your story."
Naveh's sister, Noam, said: “Even in my worst nightmares, I never imagined soldiers standing at our front door, or that I would have to write your eulogy. I don’t connect to clichés. Cry, be sad, we lost the purest person in the world, the most genuine soul, a 20-year-old who barely had the chance to live."
"I don’t want to live in a world without you. You are my source of pride, the glue that held our family together," she said.
Watch over Dad, Mom, and Nesya. I promise to tell our little sister everything about you as she grows up. I can’t see the light right now, help me find it. Thank you for the privilege of calling you my little brother," Noam said.
Naveh's grandfather, Yehuda, said: “Naveh, our beloved grandson. We still cannot comprehend this. What kind of world do we live in, where a grandfather buries his grandson instead of the other way around? Job said, ‘What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.’ From the day you enlisted in the Armored Corps, I feared this moment, this reality. It seems that the Holy One, blessed be He, chose to include us as well in the sacrifice for the people and the land of Israel."
"I pray that you will come to me in a dream and tell me that you are at peace where you are. We are believers, the children of believers, and we know that G-d does only good in His world, even if we cannot understand it. I am certain you are among the highest places of honor. Pray for your parents, your sisters, and for the entire family that we may find the strength to bear the immense loss you have left behind," Yehuda said.
Yisrael Ganz, Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council, said: “Before his enlistment, Naveh wrote about his desire to serve, to contribute, and to make an impact, knowing that ‘for missions like these, we were brought into this world.’ He wrote that being a soldier is a privilege, and that a person must strive to be meaningful wherever they are. Naveh didn’t just write these words - he lived them. He chose to become a commander, to stand on the front lines, and to dedicate himself to the defense of the people of Israel."
"This generation is asking one thing of us - not to stop halfway. Naveh and his friends did not go out to manage the danger, they went out to remove it. This morning, in the place where part of an Iranian missile stood just weeks ago, Naveh’s photograph was displayed, surrounded by memorial candles. In a single moment, threat and defense, destruction and heroism, stood side by side. Naveh leaves behind a path of responsibility, dedication, and love for the people and the land. It is our duty to continue along that path - for Naveh, for all those who have fallen, and for the people of Israel," Ganz said.
Lt. Col. Rotem Bornshtein, IDF representative, said: “Naveh, you meant so much to so many. Even now, the IDF continues to fight fiercely against the enemy, and within it, Battalion 52 and the 401st Brigade press forward with great courage. Many of your comrades-in-arms, who fought beside you shoulder to shoulder, are in battle at this very moment. They would have wanted to stand here today and say goodbye, but they continue to carry out the mission for which you fought."
"Throughout your service, you stood out as an exceptionally professional and devoted soldier and commander. Your friends and commanders say you always gave everything of yourself one hundred percent. You always put others before yourself. You knew how to be there for those around you, with humility and quiet strength. Your bravery and your values reflect the home in which you were raised. You were the very embodiment of the finest of the land - someone defined by values, responsibility, generosity, and love for the country," Bornshtein said.
Bini Paskin, Naveh’s friend, said:“I can’t believe I’m standing here reading this. I don’t know how it’s even possible to capture someone like you in words. How many times did I hear you say, ‘I’m on my way’? You were always ready to drop everything to help your friends. You had a heart of gold. You did everything with a smile. You felt a sense of purpose in your life and lived by it, always with that smile that never left your face."
Golan Wilik, representative of the Hashmaba community (Friends Who Really Travel Together Across the Country), said: “In moments like these, it’s hard not to cry out: there is no justice in the world. In a world where such a family exists, one filled with love for others, with a home and heart open to everyone, working tirelessly to bring people together and foster unity - the angel of death comes knocking and takes your Naveh."
"You planted seeds of goodness, nurtured deep roots, and were blessed to see them blossom and flourish. For years, you have led the community of travelers you created. It is not just a framework; it is a family. You are our family, and we are yours. Naveh was a young man of rare character and presence, modest, principled, and noble. He carried with him the values you instilled in him. He was a tremendous source of pride for you, and an inspiration to all of us."