Ori and Roi Aharon Lipnik, the children killed last night at the Shavei Shomron Junction in Samaria during a collision between the family vehicle and a PA vehicle, were laid to rest tonight.
Eulogies were said outside the central synagogue of Shavei Shomron. From there, the funeral procession continued to the community’s cemetery.
The father of the family, Ohad, arrived to the funeral in an ambulance and was carried out in a stretcher to participate in the funeral procession. He was lightly to moderately injured in the accident, while his 5-month-old son was lightly injured. The mother of the family, Shirley, and another son, 13 years old, were seriously injured.
Ohad eulogized his children, saying, "Ori, you were our senior helper at home. You always loved to volunteer. You would cause us to break out in such a big smile that it would stay on our faces for the entire Shabbat. Roi, it's impossible to part from you, the glow of your face and your happiness. How much joy you brought. I will miss you at the Shabbat table. You always knew all the answers to Torah questions. I so wanted you to read on your Bar Mitzvah. You loved the Torah with all your heart."
"I am parting from you in your mother's name and mine. G-d, I can't believe the chain of terrible events You brought on us. How You took two children from us. The Mishna says that a man must recite a blessing for the bad things just as he blesses the good ones. Not ask why, just to say thank you. Guard them near You until we join them."
Rabbi of the Samaria Council, Elyakim Levanon, spoke at the funeral. "We turn in prayer to strengthen the dear father, may you stand on your feet and may the doctors succeed in supporting the family."
"We experience many incidents of car accidents. We must raise out of the dust, raise Havat Gilad, Shavei Shomron, the Lipnik family. Rest in peace, sweet children," Rabbi Levanon said.
Rabbi of Tzfat Shmuel Eliyahu also spoke at the funeral. "Maybe man's end is to die, but not like this. Not in this way. How is it possible at such a painful time to see two children here lying before us? Only yesterday, they were full of life. And all this, from what? From reckless driving. From belittling life. From people who have no respect for life, for happiness or for children."
An initial investigation revealed that an Arab vehicle lost control after apparently traveling at a breakneck speed, especially dangerous due to prevailing road conditions, hit a safety railing, bounced into the middle of the road and blocked the Lipnik family vehicle which could not stop in time.
Dr. Haim Paran, director of the hospital's medical department and responsible for the hospital's trauma unit, reported today on the condition of the injured: "The entire family arrived; the father is in moderate-light condition, and is currently hospitalized in our ward for supervision. His wife arrived in critical condition, she is on respiration and under sedation. She underwent surgery early in the morning and her condition is stable but still critical. Another child arrived in a precarious state. We had to perform an urgent operation throughout the night. His condition is currently stable but still critical; he is in pediatric intensive care. A six-month-old baby also arrived in light condition, also in intensive care at the moment."