Son of Genadi Kaufman, now in the IDF, requested to be deployed in Hebron, scene of father’s murder.
(Photo: Genadi Kaufman.)
Source: Israel National News
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/219032
An IDF Sergeant whose father was murdered by a terrorist in Hebron has undertaken the unusual step of switching from the navy to the infantry – so that he could serve in the place where his father was murdered.
Sergeant David Kaufman decided to switch from the navy to infantry as his ship was near Gaza and he received news of the death of his father.
“We heard on the radio that there had been a stabbing at the Tomb of Machpela, and I immediately told my friend that I had a bad feeling, that I thought it was my father,” Kaufman related yesterday in an interview with Yediot Achronot.
David’s father, Genadi Kaufman, who worked as a gardener at the Tomb of Machpela complex, died after he was stabbed by a terrorist while coming home from work. After three weeks of struggling for his life, he succumbed to his wounds.
“Already on that day on the ship, the thought crossed my mind to transfer and [continue my service] at the Tomb of Machpela, to [try to] see to it that things like this wouldn’t happen again,” David related.
After meeting and creating a connection with high-ranking officer Eitan Dana, responsible for the Hebron region, during the mourning period for his father, David said that his decision to transfer was set.
“I immediately told him that I wanted to leave the navy and go serve in the place where my father was murdered. It’s hard for me to explain, but my heart took me there.”
Today, David serves in the infantry, under Dana’s command.
“Every time I rush to the scene of an incident and I put on my equipment and pass the place [where my father was murdered], my heart stops,” David says. “But I have a feeling of control. Now, when we […] are standing guard, we will do everything to [try to] make sure that things like this won’t happen here again.”
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