Rabbi Shalom Arush Sings at Funeral of His 4-Year-Old Grandson Who Drowned in Mexico

Shalom Sagner, the four-year-old grandson of Rabbi Shalom Arush, was laid to rest on Tuesday at the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem after tragically drowning in a swimming pool during a family vacation in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts by local rescue teams, the child was pronounced dead. Shalom was the son of Rabbi Asaf and Rivka Sagner and named after his grandfather, Rabbi Shalom Arush, a leading Breslov rabbi and head of the "Thread of Kindness" institutions.

Following coordination with Mexican authorities, the boy's coffin arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning. ZAKA volunteers received the coffin at Ben Gurion Airport and accompanied it to Jerusalem. The funeral procession began at the "Thread of Kindness" institutions on Shmuel Hanavi Street and proceeded to the Mount of Olives for burial.

Emotional footage from the funeral shows Rabbi Arush standing beside his grandson's coffin, singing "Mizmor Letoda" (Psalm of Thanks) along with family members and mourners, who joined in with tears. The family continued to sing songs of faith and gratitude, including "Hashem Always Loves Me," a song closely associated with Rabbi Arush. The mixture of faith, tears, and song deeply moved those present.

At the entrance to the cheder where Shalom studied, the family sang the Aleph-Bet song, accompanying him on his final journey. The family released a statement expressing their grief: "Blessed is the True Judge. A death has come upon our household with the painful news of the passing of the pure child Shalom Sagner, son of Rabbi Asaf and Rivka, grandson of the holy Rabbi Shalom Arush. Only four years old, he ascended pure and innocent. May God comfort us and heal our broken hearts."