Sgt. Ari Weiss
(Estee Kreisman)

I, who was born here, never had the opportunity to make that choice. It was always obvious to me that this is my country and my homeland. You made aliya out of choice.

But you didn't just come to live here. As soon as you arrived in Ra'anana, you began making a contribution to the community. Rabbi Weiss, your work in outreach and strengthening Jewish traditions has brought a new spirit to Ra'anana.

Ari was just 21 when he fell a wonderful son who loved and cherished his family, a true, loyal, and selfless friend to all those he met at school, yeshiva, and the army. A man who lived according to the values of Torah and Eretz Yisrael, always ready to help others, to stay on the base on Shabbat and festivals so that others could go home.

Succot was a happy time for Ari, as he was able to spend time with his grandparents, Andor and Leah Klein, who came from America to be with the family. He was already planning his post-army trip with friends to the States to visit his grandparents only nine months and 22 days left...

Just two weeks ago, Ari's smiling face shone out of the pages of The Jerusalem Post. At his side were his mother Susie, younger brother Yedidya, and youngest sister Ayelet. I read the article with admiration. I read about Ari, who filled his pockets with a halla and candies and a mahzor for the Rosh Hashana stakeout in Nablus. I read about Susie, who found a way to sweeten his unit's stay on the front line. In an operation that took several hours, she managed to enlist the help of several businesses in Ra'anana to provide Ari and his fellow soldiers with generous quantities of food and drink.

The ways of Hashem are hidden, and not one of us from the thousands of people present at the funeral from Ra'anana and beyond has the answer to the difficult questions we carry in our heart. But I feel stronger when I witness the faith that strengthens you and your family. Susie and Stewart, I stand before you and your wonderful family with my head bowed. Your son Ari fell for Kiddush Hashem. The war against our enemies is not over. Unfortunately, our neighbors have not yet recognized that we have come here to build a home for us and future generations.

We, the descendants of Holocaust survivors, try to hold on to this small piece of land, the only land we have, the Land of Israel. And you, dear family, have given the most precious gift of all for the sake of the people of Israel.

May Ari's name be a blessing.

The writer is mayor of Ra'anana.

A note about the background music: The song Am Yisroel Chai has a colorful history. Rabbi Weiss once told a story about a Holocaust survivor who sang it at his only surviving son's funeral when he was killed fighting for Israel's independence in 1948. As Rabbi Weiss himself is the son of Holocaust survivors, Am Yisroel Chai was sung at Ari's funeral. Although there is much debate about the appropriateness of this upbeat song, or for that matter, any music, being used in conjunction with an Orthodox Jewish funeral, the song has become something of a theme song for anything pertaining to Ari. The words of the song, translated, are "The people of Israel live; Our Father still lives." The message is that Ari's death, although tragic, was not in vain. - SRE