JERUSALEM Thousands, including busloads of Orthodox Jews, attended the funeral of the Druze police officer killed in the terror attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem.
The Nov. 19 funeral for Zidan Saif, 30, came hours after morning prayer services were held in the Har Nof synagogue where Palestinian terrorists killed four worshippers the previous day.
The funeral took place in the presence of political leaders and religious leaders representing a variety of faiths.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the funeral.
What do we tell a five-month-old girl who will never know her father, who will grow up an orphan? We will tell her that her father was a hero, Rivlin said.
Read related IJN editorial, “Zidan Nahad Saif, 1974-2014“
Saif died Nov. 18 from wounds sustained during a shootout with the terrorists.
The Orthodox community in Jerusalem and elsewhere organized buses to bring people to the funeral.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party and Dov Lipman of the Yesh Atid party joined the worshippers on Nov. 19 in the Bnei Kehillat Yaakov synagogue. A congregant who was injured in the attack also returned for services.
A security guard was posted at the entrance to the building.
Four of those injured in the attack remain hospitalized.
Of them, two are in serious condition, one in moderate condition and one in the orthopedic ward.
