Levayeh of the murdered Kedoishim Eitam and Na'ama Henkin

A crowd of 10,000 gathered Friday afternoon for the funeral of Rabbi Eitam and Na’ama Henkin, the victims of Thursday’s shooting terror attack near the Palestinian village of Beit Furik.

The couple, who was shot dead by a Palestinian terorrist while driving home, left behind four young children who survived without injury in the bullet-riddled vehicle.

President Rueven Rivlin, MK Tzipi Livni, Eli Yishai, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, and minister Uri Ariel, were amongst those who gathered in Jerusalem’s Har Hamenuchot cemetery.

Rabbi Eitam’s parents, who made aliyah from America, are Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder of the Nishmat Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies for Women in Jerusalem and Rabbi Yehuda Henkin, known posek (halakhic decisor) and author of the four volume set of responsa, Bnai Banim.

Torah and togetherness

Rabbanit Henkin eulogized her son Friday, noting that he had been a wellspring of support and nachas, joy and fulfillment, for her and the Rabbi.

“We had a special language between us of Torah and Halakha [Jewish law - ed.],” the Rabbanit stated. “You continued in the Torah ways of your father and grandfather, with talent, with integrity; you were a man of Torah in all things.”

“You wrote a book on Jewish law in your twenties; people did not believe you were so young,” she continued.

“It’s impossible to stand in silence in front of a mother and father who were brutally torn apart from their children,” Rivlin said while addressing to the crowd.

“We are facing a brutal wave of terror,” Rivlin said to the crowd of settlers. “And you are at the frontlines - paying a heavy price.”
 

Friends and family carry the bodies of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin during their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple's six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

“We never stopped building because of the threat of terror and we will never cease to build because of terror,” the president added. He asserted that Israel would continue relentlessly in the fight against terror.

A large-scale search is still underway for the perpetrators of the shooting.  “Our forces know how to track down the perpetrators,” a senior security source said.

The IDF had no concrete intelligence alerts for this area prior to the attack; only a general security alert was in place.

The army believes that the same terrorist cell that struck on Thursday may have been responsible for an attack nearby by on August 30, when an Israeli civilian sustained a gunshot wound to the hand in a drive-by shooting.

A gunman in a vehicle fired shots at the driver at the Jit junction, before speeding away. An IDF guard at the nearby Efraim Territorial Division base evacuated the man to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. The army said the man was lightly wounded.

On Thursday, Hamas praised the “heroic terror attack” and called for more “quality attacks.”

“Zionists will pay the price for Netanyahu’s criminal policies everywhere,” the group said.‎

Israelis mourn on the grave of of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin after their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)

The fresh grave of of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin after their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)

Friends and family carry the bodies of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin during their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)

Friends and family carry the bodies of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin during their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)

Friends and family carry the bodies of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin during their funeral at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)

Friends and family attend the funeral of Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem on Friday, October 2, 2015, Israeli couple, Naama and Eitam Henkin, were shot dead last night while driving by the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Four of the couple’s six children were in the car at the time, but were unhurt. (Credit: Flash90)