* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Naama Neiman, mother of Aviad Neiman, who fell in a heroic battle in Lebanon last week, gave the following message to the many mourners who came to comfort her family in Mitzpe Yericho:
“It’s remarkable how many people came to the funeral of one Jew who was killed, that 5,000 others watched the funeral on YouTube, and that hundreds of people from all over the country have come to the shiva to console us.
I want each one of you to think about how important you are to our people. When you get up in the morning, remind yourself that you are a valuable member of the Jewish people. If we could only absorb this message, the Jewish people would soar to the greatest heights. We cannot begin to grasp how great the impact would be of believing: “I matter.”
I don’t know if Aviad knew how much he mattered to other people or how many people would miss him when he was gone. People have been telling me: “I want to be like Aviad,” but we want to be a little bit like each one of you.
And this is not only true after death. A tiny piece of God exists in each one of us.”
