Mothers of slain kidnapped teens to light torch for Independence Day
Iris Yifrach, Bat Galim Shaar and Racheli Fraenkel will light the torch together.
By HAGAY HACOHENMothers of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel(photo credit: ISRAEL AT THE UN-GENEVA)
The three mothers of the 2014 terrorism victims Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel were invited by Culture Minister Miri Regev on Sunday to light a torch during the Independence Day ceremony on May 8, which will be held under the theme of “The Israeli Spirit.”While usually an individual is honored, Iris Yifrach, Bat Galim Shear and Raheli Fraenkel were asked to jointly light the torch due to the volunteer work they did together after suffering the death of their sons. Regev said that the mothers are “the heroes of our spirit who chose, facing heart-piercing grief… to open a gate of the love of Israel to honor their loved ones.”The 2014 kidnapping and murder of the three teenagers led to Israel embarking on Operation Brothers’ Keepers (Tzouk Eitan), culminating in the arrest of 350 Palestinians. The IDF then launched Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.After a massive manhunt, the bodies of the three victims were found near Hebron at the end of June. Hamas was seen as the responsible party, despite official group leaders claiming they were unaware of the kidnapping.Since the attack, the three mothers have been involved in various volunteer projects promoting the values of unity and charity.
