Nurse, mother, heroically fought terrorist and saved her family.
(Mourners at the funeral of Dafna Meir. Photo credit: Yishai Fleisher)
Hundreds of people attended the funeral last Monday for Dafna Meir, the 38-year-old mother who was stabbed to death fighting off a terrorist who broke into her home in Otniel. She leaves behind her husband and four children.
Otniel is a community of approximately 130 families and part of the Har Hevron (Hebron Hills) Regional Council which is comprised of over a dozen communities.
Family and friends noted her kindness and compassion as a nurse, and mother of adopted children as well as her own children at the funeral which left Otniel and proceeded to Jerusalem’s Har Hamenuchot cemetery.
Meir’s murder is one of 25 committed by terrorists since September 2015. In addition, attacks have wounded hundreds, such as a incident the day after Meir’s murder in which a pregnant woman in Tekoa was attacked by a knife wiedling terrorist.
A significant number of terrorists have emanated from the H1 portion of the city of Hebron and from the Hevron Hills region in general.
Yishai Fleisher, international spokesperson for the Jewish community of Hebron attended the funeral. Although he did not know Dafna Meir personally he felt compelled because he was unable to attend the funeral of his friend, local Hebron gardener Genadi Kaufman who was murdered in a terrorist attack near the Tomb of Machpela several weeks before.
“I needed to get closure and give this special woman her the last respects,” he stated in his weekly podcast, which was recorded at the funeral.
“We have the privilege of honoring this amazing woman. She was murdered by a terrorist and fought him hand to hand while protecting her family. She fought every day for her patients with same tenacity. She lived in Judea, because that is the essential homeland of the Jewish people. We are broken-hearted – but, in the end, Dafna’s spirit, which will now be renowned, will strengthen us,” Fleisher stated.
Also interviewed on the program was Jerusalem based educator Rabbi Judah Mischel, who quoted the Torah passage “and Aaron was silent,” in reference to the deaths of Aaron’s two son. “But now is not the time to remain silent,” Rabbi Mischel commented, calling for more government action in response to the wave of stabbing attacks. He explained that the Biblical accord described a divine act, while last week’s murder was a politically motivated terrorist attack that could have been prevented.
