On January 9, Meital Schwartz received the tragic news that her husband, David, was one of 9 IDF soldiers killed in Khan Younis, Gaza. The couple had just celebrated their wedding anniversary a few days before his passing. David Schwartz, H”YD, was just 26 years old.

At the funeral, Meital made a powerful speech, translated below into English:

“My dear David,

We met exactly four years ago on Shlomzion Street in Jerusalem on a chilly evening. You asked me if I liked your glasses, and I laughed because we had never met before and I was surprised by the question.

I wrote this, but I don’t have anyone to show it to … who can I look to now for advice?

Like all the letters that I wrote to you in the last months there is no sequence – it’s just words from my heart.

You are skilled in writing, in speech. You would work on your Torah speeches so that they would be precise, so that the message would be transmitted to everyone, and so that the message would be relevant for the reader and would be forceful in your life and our lives. I always enjoyed looking at you from the side as you wrote on the computer or in your illegible handwriting, deep in thought.

You are a man of action. Words were not just empty talk. If something needed to be done, you would be the first to take care of it, without thinking too much or delaying.

Because of this, you accomplished so much, in learning, in work, in family, and your time with me was so important to you.

We had the merit of being together for almost two weeks until last week. We went out to eat, we saw the sunset, and we did all the things that we love to do.

You fixed up the home, you built a new dresser, and you told me that you had a feeling that this is the last time that you would be called to serve in Gaza, and soon you would be home.

On Sunday we celebrated our anniversary. When you were in Gaza, you sent me a delivery of food, but I didn’t open it yet as I wanted to wait for you.

We wanted to build a family, but in place of this I join the family of the grieving. We dreamt so many dreams that are shattered, the future that we longed to build together remains a dream.

I love you so much, and through all this time I felt as if I have all the blessings in the world. Even when we were not at war, it was difficult for us to separate from one another in the mornings. And all day long, we waited for the evening when we could be together again.

I can’t imagine myself without you. There won’t be a night when I will not dream of you.

You always told me that you are ok if I am ok, and you told me that I am strong. So I promise you that I will be strong. This will take me time, but I promise you this. I know that this is what you want.

I want to say thank you to Yair and Sarah, for the blessing of David. Through your shared wisdom, you raised the best son in the world, and the most perfect husband. Of course, David also loved all his siblings and looked for occasions to enjoy time together with them. Shira, Ehud, Yisroel, Shai, Yael, Guzi, Yudi, all of you are like my siblings. I love you so much.

David fell in battle with his dear friend, who learned with him in yeshiva, and who was in the army with him and then in miluim with him.

I’m sending the Hexters my love and strength in these impossible times.

Before concluding, we pray for those injured yesterday. We hope that they will return in full and complete health to their homes. I see the colleagues of David here, and I thank you for the feeling of family you gave us and how you looked after each other in the last few months. David loved all of you.

I will conclude with three sentences that David hung above his bed and that he would see each night before going to sleep.

Hakol B’yadei Shamayim – Everything is in the hands of heaven except for the fear of heaven.

Ve’haboteach B’Adonai Chesed Yesovevenu – he who trusts in the Lord will be surrounded with kindness.

V’ani Bechasdekha Batachti – But I trust in your faithfulness, my heart will exult in your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.

I appreciate so much how you have complete trust and faith in God. I hope that I can receive some of this trust now so that it may strengthen me. David, I love you with endless love, to eternity and back forever. I hope that we merit to meet up somehow, and all this is just a mistake. I miss you. Yours forever, Meital.”

The funeral, with Meital’s speech as spoken in Hebrew, can be viewed here: https://livestream.com/accounts/440454/events/11062269.

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