Following tragic murder of Tze’ela Gez, bereaved father Hagai Lober visits the Bruchin Yeshiva: ‘My true source of comfort lies in all those who remain and continue to live their lives.’
In the wake of the brutal murder of Tze’ela Gaz, may her memory be a blessing, the educational staff at the Amit Bruchin Yeshiva gathered for a special session of reflection and strength with Hagai Lober, father of Yehonatan Lober, who fell in battle in Gaza during the ongoing Swords of Iron War.
“There is comfort,” Lober began. “Comfort is not forgetting — there is no chance we will forget. Comfort is not laughing, not blurring the pain, not trying to justify the loss. Comfort is finding meaning and content that gives us the strength to continue. We learn comfort from the Almighty, who comforted Isaac after the death of his father Abraham — not by bringing him back to life, but by helping him move forward.”
During the gathering, Lober shared three elements that gave him profound comfort after his son’s death, expressing hope that they might also bring solace to the Bruchin community. “How he lived, what he died for, and what he left behind. His life should not be reduced to a single moment. A person’s life is an entire tapestry. He was a young child with his own unique personality.”
Lober also addressed a question he is often asked — how he manages to sleep at night, knowing that four of his children are serving in Gaza. “I don’t sleep much,” he admitted, “but if they weren’t in Gaza, defending Israel after the horrors of October 7th, I wouldn’t sleep at all. I would consider it a failure — educational, parental, and moral — if able-bodied sons didn’t go out to defend us. True comfort comes from all those who remain and live their lives. Yehonatan and many others fell so that others could live — and life itself comforts me.”
Rabbi Avi Shayish, head of the Bruchin yeshiva, concluded: “It was important for us to hear this powerful and uplifting message from Hagai Lober. We believe it will help us continue to strengthen ourselves and our students in finding light and deepening our bond to our beloved Land. Let us be strong and strengthen one another for the sake of our people and the land of our God.”Lober also addressed a question he is often asked — how he manages to sleep at night, knowing that four of his children are serving in Gaza. “I don’t sleep much,” he admitted, “but if they weren’t in Gaza, defending Israel after the horrors of October 7th, I wouldn’t sleep at all. I would consider it a failure — educational, parental, and moral — if able-bodied sons didn’t go out to defend us. True comfort comes from all those who remain and live their lives. Yehonatan and many others fell so that others could live — and life itself comforts me.”
Rabbi Avi Shayish, head of the Bruchin yeshiva, concluded: “It was important for us to hear this powerful and uplifting message from Hagai Lober. We believe it will help us continue to strengthen ourselves and our students in finding light and deepening our bond to our beloved Land. Let us be strong and strengthen one another for the sake of our people and the land of our God.”
