Parents of Shlomo Shrem Bid Farewell: "Give Us Strength to Endure This Nightmare"

Shaul and Hindi Shrem, parents of Sergeant Shlomo Yakir Shrem, who fell in combat in the Gaza Strip on Monday, eulogized their son during his funeral today (Tuesday) at the military cemetery in Kfar Etzion.

“I stand here in unbearable pain, a grief so deep it cannot be contained,” said Hindi, Shlomo’s mother. “Please give us the strength to carry on for the family. Everyone came to escort you on your final journey.” She shared Shlomo’s last message to her: “‘I’ve reached the base, everything’s fine, thank God. Don’t worry, even though it’s your job as a mom to worry. I have an amazing team that does everything. See you on Shabbat, looking forward to the family vacation.’ You were so close to coming home, just a few days, we hadn’t seen you in two weeks.”

Hindi recounted their last time together: “We went to a movie you wanted to see, with Grandma, who raised you and was always there for you. We planned your birthday, and then you went to study Torah at the Atzmona yeshiva because you said it was important before your next deployment. I told you to go, my righteous son, but that was it. You went back to Gaza and didn’t make it out. How do we go on?”

She continued, “You always found time for Torah study, charming everyone with your humility and desire to give. Even exhausted at home, you’d drop your bag and spend endless time with your special younger brother. Now that bond is broken forever. You were grateful for every little thing, even when it wasn’t needed. You were too good, and this wound is too deep. I’m bleeding, my heart is burning. I’m a nurse, caring for soldiers for 26 years, but I can’t bring you back, even in my dreams. I felt this coming, months ago, I said I was preparing a eulogy for my son every night. I asked if that was normal, and they said yes.”

Hindi recalled, “Shlomo, you were the light of our family, the light we waited for again and again. You said, ‘Mom, nothing happens without divine precision. There’s a bigger plan we can’t yet understand, but it will lead to redemption and great light.’ I hoped you’d come home. The cost is unbearable. I needed to hear from you to get through the day. We were supposed to go on a family vacation Sunday, just days away and now life has stopped. Give us strength, Shlomo. I’m torn between wanting to be with you and staying here for my other children.”

Shlomo’s father, Shaul, said, “You were a cherished and extraordinary son, so easy to raise, a remarkable figure who lived your 20 years to the fullest. We don’t know how we were blessed with such a righteous son. Your pre-military academy, hit so hard by losses in this unending war, shaped you into a man of uncompromising values. Yet, your bond with your friends was admirable, they loved you, and you loved them.”

He added, “Everything you did was with joy. Even when tasks were dull, you said it was the mission and had to be done perfectly. You thrived in the armored corps, proud to fight for Israel, fearless in your tank. I always told you to stay safe, and you assured me you were secure inside. Please give us strength to endure this nightmare. We’ll try to be strong for you, because you were there for our family. May this war end in total victory. Thank you, Shlomo, for being a wonderful son.”