14-year-old Ma'alot-Tarshiha native Elazar Yair Wilensky, who was tragically killed when a munition detonated during a school trip, was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Rabbi Noam Oster, the head of the Mevakshei Panecha Yeshiva in Ma'alot, whose son was among those on the hike, shared a moving account of the moments of terror, highlighting the teens' heroism and the power of the people of Israel.
"I heard that a munition exploded during my son's hike, about ten minutes away from me. My heart sank. I flew over there immediately, and I returned in shock. Not by the tragedy, but by the children."
Rabbi Oster described the children's resourcefulness at the scene, despite their young age and the disturbing sights they witnessed. "You must understand, this is a group of 13-,14, and 15-year-olds. Suddenly, in the middle of the hike, a munition explodes. Injuries, blood, screaming, panic. The three adults who were there were also injured, and the ones who ran things were the group of kids."
He explained: "They search for MDA (emergency services), they care for the injured, they call the families to calm them, they direct the ambulances. It's crazy. I returned at night from my son, after several hours with these heroes, and I didn't stop thinking about what an amazing nation we have. A nation of lions."
He then conveyed a message to the terrorists who, according to him, are responsible for launching the munition that exploded. "And to the Damn terrorists who shot this bomblet, I have something simple to tell you: Am Israel Chai (the People of Israel live)! You have no chance. You have no chance against a 14-year-old kid who applied a tourniquet to his friend. You have no chance against a plumber who lands a hijacked plane."
He added: "You have no chance against a hi-tech worker who leaves his office and puts on a uniform, or a mother of five children who sends her husband off for another tour of duty in Gaza. You have no chance against an entire nation that, within a second, embraces the victims with love, prayer, and mutual responsibility that don't exist anywhere else in the world.
Rabbi Oster concluded his words with a message of faith and determination: "You must understand, we are made of something else. We survived Pharaoh and Hitler, and we'll survive this too. Because we bring a great spiritual message to the world, and we do not intend to stop."