Rabbi Doron Perez held a funeral for his fallen son, Captain Daniel Perez, despite Hamas holding his body in Gaza. As the chairman of the World Mizrachi movement, Perez emphasized to Ynet the importance of focusing on the return of living hostages.
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"We knew after six weeks that Daniel was injured, after all kinds of tests. They told us that his blood was inside the tank, outside the tank, and they also found his ranks on the way to the border with quite a bit of blood," he explained. "At this stage, from the army's perspective, there was nothing necessarily indicative of a serious injury. We hoped and prayed it wasn't a serious injury, we prayed it was a light injury, but following the new findings and videos, they determined his death."
How did you decide what to do? We spoke with families in similar situations who told us they would not hold the funeral until the body was returned.
"It's different. For our dear friends, Hagit and Rubi Hen, whose son was killed in the same incident, there is nothing to bury, there is no blood either, so they don't have a burial obligation. If there's nothing at all to bury, you don't bury. There's no such thing as burying a completely empty coffin. Therefore, that's the right thing to do from all aspects."
"In our case, there was blood, and relatively significant blood. There is what is called in Judaism 'a quart of blood,' which means if there is a certain amount of blood, there is an obligation to bury. Since there is a burial obligation, which others don't have, we said: let's honor our son, let's focus on what we have. His body is still not here, and it will come with God's help along with all the casualties and with all the living ones quickly, but what we have is blood, and it is written in the Torah 'for the blood is the life.' My wife and I decided that this is not the end of the story, we have all our lives to cope with the loss. We also need to fight for the body to return, but we said: let's honor Daniel," Rabbi Perez said.
"This is the hardest struggle of all, the loss of a child. We are all suffering, but when I saw the longing of my wife, the suffering of a mother, I have never seen such suffering in my life. It is written in the Midrashim about the Binding of Isaac that Abraham's trial was difficult, but the moment Sarah, his mother, even knew there was a trial to sacrifice the son, she immediately passed away. Our suffering is indescribable, but if while coping with our personal grief and pain, we gain some comfort or offer comfort, strengthen others and ourselves, it is a privilege."
How important is it to you now that a deal be made in which the bodies, including of course your son's body, will be returned?
"It is clearly much more important to return people alive. Daniel had a dear friend from the tank, Matan Angrest, who showed signs of life and thank God he is alive, and there are many others with signs of life, both civilians and soldiers. They need to return immediately, it is a matter of life or death. Unfortunately, there is no saving our son, it is a matter of burial in Israel but he is already dead. However, I thought that there should be some information."
"We saw that Hamas sees female soldiers differently. We know that the negotiations are more difficult regarding men and soldiers, but we insisted that there should be a framework for everyone and that there should be at least some information. If we are going for a deal, even if it is in stages, we need to receive information about everyone."
"Even our eldest son fought and was injured, and thank God he is okay," Rabbi Peretz noted. "We have seen stories of Israeli heroism from all parts of our society, people who put their lives on the line and simply teach us what bravery is. This generation knows what bravery is. Our son has become our teacher and rabbi. I offer condolences to all the families suffering with us, and wish that all the kidnapped return soon, and only good to all the wounded and all our soldiers."