In a deeply emotional ceremony, the newborn son of terror victim Rabbi Alter Yisrael Hacohen Matsner was named after his fallen father.
Jerusalem was overcome with emotion on Thursday morning as hundreds gathered at Beit Yisrael Hall for a heart-rending brit milah (circumcision) ceremony — honoring both new life and the memory of loss. The infant boy, the son of terror victim Rabbi Alter Yisrael Hacohen Matsner, was given his father’s name in a moving act of faith and continuity amid grief.
Rabbi Yisrael Matsner, only 28 years old, was one of six Israelis murdered in the September terror attack at Jerusalem’s Ramat Junction — a brutal assault that left 12 others wounded. His widow, Tami Matsner, courageously hosted the ceremony, transforming tragedy into a moment of unity and spiritual resilience.
The sandek, who held the baby during the covenant ceremony, was the child’s grandfather, Rabbi Chaim Greinman, head of the Taharot Yeshiva in Jerusalem. The blessings were recited by Rabbi Shlomo Hacohen Matsner, the baby’s uncle.
The late Rabbi Matsner, a devoted scholar at the Meisharim Yeshiva, was remembered as a man of faith, humility, and boundless love for Jerusalem. His father, Rabbi Uri Meir Hacohen Matsner, recalled during the shiva mourning period that his son had expressed a haunting premonition only weeks before his death:
“It is good to live in Jerusalem,” he told his wife and mother, “but I want to be buried in Bnei Brak.”
Rabbi Matsner was indeed laid to rest in Bnei Brak, fulfilling his final wish.
Thursday’s ceremony — held in the same city he so loved — symbolized the triumph of Jewish life over terror. As baby Alter Yisrael entered the covenant of his people, his family and community wept not only for what was lost, but for the light that endures.
