Murdered: Miki Mark, father of ten, yeshiva director
The man killed today in the terrorist attack on his family in their car in Har Hevron was a father of ten and 'a pillar of the community;' his longtime friend, MK Yehuda Glick, learned with him at yeshiva.
The man murdered before his wife and two of his ten children whilst driving them on Friday was Rabbi Michael "Miki" Mark, a 48 year old from Otniel, the cousin of Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. Miki's wife, Chava, 40, was seriously wounded, their 13-year-old daughter Tehila was moderately-to-seriously wounded, and their 15-year-old son Pedayah was lightly wounded. Beside the son, every member of the family was shot by terrorists who drove past their car travelling on Route 60 in Har Hevron.
The murdered father was the director of a yeshiva in Otniel and a very well-known figure in his regional council. Otniel's secretary, Eran Dgani, said, "Miki was a pillar of the settlement and of Har Hevron. He was one of the pioneers of the settlement. He was a very modest and honest man, a man of action in every inch of his body. Miki ran the yeshiva in Otniel for years, and he ran the company for the development of Har Hevron and led to extraordinary accomplishments. He was a man of faith and spirit, and he spent every moment of his free time studying torah. He was a gentle man and a devoted father to his family. His absence in the settlement will be great."
Dgani asked to transfer a message to the terrorists: "You try to scare us so that we'll wear down, break, and leave, but it's all for naught. The sentiments in Otniel are not of fear and exhaustion, but rather of cohesion, resilience and especially a strong desire to move forward. The murderers that imagine eliminating us through bloodshed will find before them again and again a solid wall of people who believe in life a lot more than those same murderers believe in death."
The Marks have ten children: Shlomi, Shira, Natanel, Yehoshua, Miriam, Orit, Pedaya, Tehila, Rinat, and Esther.
MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) was one of Miki's best friend from their yeshiva today togethers in Alon Shvut. "He was like a brother to me," said Glick on Friday afternoon. "Tonight, at the entry of the Sabbath, I'll make Kiddush with the cup that he gave to me as a gift for my 40th birthday."
Har Hevron Regional Council head Yochay Damri released a message to the council's citizens: "Dear Residents, Our blood boils; again, we have experienced a shocking murder, and again on the Sabbath eve against a Har Hevron family. A dear resident was murdered before his two children, and his wife was seriously wounded. We are in great pain from this situation. This is a well-known family. And we pray for the girl's well-being.
"This is an exceptional incident. For a long time in Otniel and Har Hevron, we have experienced difficult events, and today an additional event, but they will not break us! A peaceful Sabbath and a warm and lamenting hug to all."
President Reuven Rivlin released his condolences in a statment: "I want to give strength to the Mark family, after the murder of their dear father Michael (Miki), and I join in the prayers being said now across Israel for the full recovery of the family's mother and children... At this difficult time, I also want to offer my support to the IDF and the security services, who will apprehend these vicious murderers."
