She Waited 20 Years for Love: Then Lost Him Two Years Later

Shlomit Zeiger waited twenty years for the moment she would stand under the chuppah. Just two years later, to the words of Yoshev b’seter Elyon, she walked again, this time behind the coffin of her husband, Yitzhak Zeiger HY”D, who was murdered in a terror attack. In a moving interview, she shares the brief marriage she was blessed with and the faith that continues to carry her.

Yitzhak HY”D and Shlomit on their wedding day (Photo: Hillel Lederman)

Hashem Knows What He’s Doing

In her late twenties, Shlomit closed the first chapter of her marriage. After her divorce, the father of her daughters passed away from a serious illness, and she became their sole support. For years, she worked tirelessly as a kitchen manager in a yeshiva, doing everything she could to provide.

“Every shekel mattered,” she recalls. “Those were survival years, but I did the best I could. I took the girls wherever they needed to go. I really tried.”

Despite the challenges, she describes a warm and connected family life. “We were very close. On Shabbat, sometimes we hosted, sometimes we were hosted, and sometimes it was just me and my girls.” She also expresses deep gratitude to Colel Chabad in Jerusalem, which supported her family during those years, offering her daughters activities, mentors, and a sense of stability.

Alongside raising her daughters, Shlomit continued searching for her match. “For twenty years I was in that process,” she says. “As long as I hadn’t found him, I told myself that apparently Hashem didn’t want me to marry yet. It wasn’t simple, but I believed Hashem knows what He’s doing.”

What were you looking for in your future husband?
“A healthy, cheerful, Torah-centered person. It was important to me that he be a family man, someone who takes action, and that Torah truly matters to him.”

For years, she declined matches with men named Yitzhak. Her late father had that name, and she had always hoped to name a future son after him. “The years went by, and nothing happened. I reached 48, and then I met Yitzhak,” she says with a smile.

Yitzhak praying in synagogue

A Light on His Face

Four years ago, just before Parashat Zachor, a man she did not know called her with a suggestion. He had heard she was searching and recommended she meet Yitzhak. After hearing the details, she agreed.

After just two dates, they became engaged.

“I checked everything thoroughly before we even met,” she explains. “We were both ready for this marriage.”

Their life together, though brief, was filled with joy and partnership. “We had both been through a lot. We wanted a good, happy home, and we truly merited it. We worked on it together, and you could see it on our faces. There was a light.”

Yitzhak was exactly what she had hoped for; a man of action. He worked as a Bezeq technician and also drove groups to Shabbat retreats in the Meron area. Even then, he would not sit idle. After dropping off passengers, he would help cook at the hospitality center near the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

“He had a special touch in the kitchen,” she says. “To this day, my grandchildren still wait for ‘Grandpa’s meat.’”

Yitzhak with his grandchildren

Did your grandkids call him ‘Saba’?
“They adopted him as ‘Saba,’ and he truly became that kind of grandfather.”

She recalls how thoughtful he was. Shortly after their wedding, he was already planning ahead for Chanukah, reminding her to buy dreidels for the grandchildren. After his passing, she discovered he had been planning a surprise for her 50th birthday months in advance.

Alongside his work, Yitzhak completed two books of Tehillim every week and listened to Torah classes during his long drives. He also volunteered extensively with organizations such as ZAKA, MDA, the police, United Hatzalah, and more.

Yitzhak volunteered for several organizations, including ZAKA

There’s Hope

On the 20th of Adar, 5784, Yitzhak finished work and began driving home. Along the way, he picked up two teenage hitchhikers. When he stopped at a gas station near Eli, a terrorist opened fire. Yitzhak and one of the boys were killed on the spot.

At that time, Shlomit was preparing for Shabbat. “I had just made dough for challah,” she recalls. “I stepped out briefly to comfort neighbors who had lost their son.”

When her husband did not answer his phone, something felt off. She checked the news and saw a report of an attack, and her husband’s car at the center of it.

At first, she was not alarmed. He had often been present at such scenes through his volunteer work. But then came the knock at the door.

“My world collapsed,” she says quietly.

During shivah, she was surrounded by support. “I received such warmth from the community,” she says, though she admits it was not easy to be on the receiving end. “I’m used to helping others. It was hard to suddenly be the one needing help.”

Even now, she continues to give. “If I’m already cooking for others, I give myself something too, both emotionally and physically.”

What gives you the strength to get up in the morning?
“Faith,” she answers. “And the understanding that we are living in the days of Mashiach.”

She speaks about her deep belief that everything is guided with precision. “One of the foundations of faith is that Hashem does everything; past, present, and future. Everything is exact, even if we don’t understand it.”

She also draws strength from the support she continues to receive from Jews around the world.

Are you grateful for the relationship you experienced, even though it was so brief?
“Absolutely,” she says without hesitation. “I gained so much. I learned that a good marriage is possible. Today, that’s my mission; to give others hope. I know it’s possible to reach a good place.”

Holding On to Hope

Shortly before this interview was published, Shlomit shared that Yitzhak’s memorial had been postponed. She had prepared for months, investing time and effort into creating meaningful items in his memory.

“It takes inner strength to handle that disappointment,” she says. “But at the same time, I thank Hashem. We are living in days of redemption. And if someone doesn’t see it, I’ll bring them a pair of glasses.”

Her faith remains unshaken.

“Soon,” she says, “there will be resurrection, and Yitzhak will return.”