Reserve Major Itamar Sapir Is Laid to Rest: "I Called You After They Told Me You Had Fallen"

Reserve Major Itamar Sapir, 27, from the community of Eli, is being laid to rest this morning (Wednesday) at the military cemetery in Ra'anana, as hundreds are taking part in his funeral.

As the funeral procession set out on its way to the military cemetery in Ra'anana, hundreds of city residents lined Ron Nachman Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare, to pay their final respects. Holding Israeli flags, residents stood along the roadside and saluted the officer who fell during his reserve service.

Roi Sapir, Itamar’s wife, eulogized him through tears: "I called you after they told me you were dead, because I was sure it wasn’t true. I’m surrounded by people, but without you — what is any of it worth? You are everything to me and to us. How do we go on? Do we go on? With you, everything was possible."

Ariel Mayor Yair Shtabon also eulogized Itamar: "The city of Ariel is hurting and in shock over Itamar’s fall, a hero who went out to defend home and did not return. Itamar acted with tremendous devotion, and he leaves behind a great void. In these difficult and unimaginable moments, our hearts are with his wife, his young son, and his dear parents — the entire Ariel community stands with you."

He added: "Our duty now is not only to embrace the family, but also to make sure Itamar’s memory is commemorated in our city in a meaningful and fitting way. We will make sure future generations know the person he was and the values by which he lived and acted. May his memory be a blessing."