Thousands of people attended the funeral on Sunday of Sgt. Nave Habsush, a tank fighter who was killed in combat. During her eulogy, his mother, Einav, revealed that she discovered only a few months before his death that she was pregnant at age 46. She said the pregnancy was a complete surprise, and that after officers came to their home to deliver the devastating news of Nave’s death, she felt that she was carrying new life through the darkness.
Einav said the pregnancy has given her strength to keep going despite the loss of her only son. “When an beloved child was taken from me, inside me there is a heartbeat that forces me to get up in the morning and continue living,” she said. Addressing Nave directly, she added, “Nave my boy, today I ask you one last request from a mother, send me strength. Help me get up in the morning even on days I do not want to get up. Help me be the mother that Noam and Nesya need now.”
She also said that when her younger daughter is born, Nave should “ask for mercy for her from above,” watch over her, protect her, and help her be a good mother as well. Her words became the emotional center of the funeral.
Nave’s father, Haim, also shared the last message he received from his son, sent on Thursday at 11:15 p.m. Nave asked how he was doing and said there was a chance he could come home the following Sunday, but not to tell his mother so she would not be upset if it did not happen. About an hour later, Haim said, the worst happened. He described Nave as a modest, quiet young man who always thought of others before himself, calling him an angel sent to them for too short a time.
