As we mourn our boys.

There has been a collective outpouring of grief within the Jewish community after our 3 missing boys were found murdered.

From the JCRC:
 A Joint Statement from the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, The Jewish Federation/The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay and the American Jewish Committee

It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we mourn the murder of Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, who were kidnapped on Thursday, June 12. Their bodies were found in the West Bank town of Halhul, located north of Hebron.

For the past 18 days, our Bay Area Jewish community and communities around the world have come together in support, in solidarity and in prayer. Our hearts are with their families during this terrible time, and we continue to stand with Israel as authorities search for the terrorists responsible for this heinous crime. We hope that the perpetrators are quickly apprehended and brought to justice.

May the memories of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal be blessings.


From StandWithUs
Our hearts are breaking at the horrific news of the murder of the three Israeli teenagers: Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frankel and Gilad Shaer.
Israelis, Jews and people of goodwill around the world were consumed with worry following the cruel and cowardly kidnapping of the teens.
The news of their brutal murder is painful to absorb.
As we stood with and embraced their families following the kidnapping, we stand with them today, sharing their grief and wishing them strength at this tragic time.
This sad news reminds us that terrorists continue to act with impunity under Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. It reminds us that Hamas is a terrorist organization and has no place in any serious leadership or negotiating position. We see a clear link between the horrific acts of violence by Jihadists in Iraq and Syria and the acts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terror groups.
Hate education against Jews and Israelis continues unabated in the Palestinian Authority, Gaza and many Arab countries. The result is hatred, terrorism and murder. The institutionalized incitement against Jews and Israel permeates education, the media, mosques and other social institutions, directed and supported by the Palestinian leadership. This education produced the stomach-turning images of some Palestinians celebrating the boys` abduction. This "education" resulted in the murder of our three innocent boys. 
The world has been united in keeping the boys and their families uppermost in its thoughts and prayers and will continue to do so now.
We pray for the strength that the families and our greater community will need to cope with this tragedy.
International pressure must be placed on the Palestinian Authority to stop the ongoing incitement to hatred, terrorism and murder. The Palestinian leadership, both Abbas and Hamas, must finally be held accountable for their actions. EU and American funding of the PA should be tied to that accountability.

We continue to support Israel`s security procedures that protect its citizens from acts of terror like this.

We join all of Israel, and good people around the world, in mourning Eyal, Naftali and Gilad.
May their memories be a blessing to all people of goodwill.

May G-d comfort the families among all the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

The StandWithUs Staff and Board of Directors

From the Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest
Dear friends,

Following extensive searches led by the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police, the bodies of Eyal Yifrach (19), Gilad Sha'er (16) and Naftali Frenkel (16), who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on June 12, 2014, were discovered today in the area northwest of Hebron.

The grief and sorrow of their families and loved ones is unimaginable and beyond anything words can describe.

All of us, who for the past 18 days have been hoping and praying for the boys' safe return home, grieve today along with their families.

At the beginning of today's security cabinet meeting, PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated: "In the name of the whole of Israel, I ask to tell the dear families - to the mothers, the fathers, the grandmothers and the grandfathers, the brothers and sisters - our hearts are bleeding, the whole nation is crying with them. We will bring the boys to be buried according to Jewish rites."

Outgoing President Shimon Peres has stated: "All of Israel bows its head today. For 18 days we hoped and prayed with one voice that we would find the boys safe and well. With this bitter news all of Israel mourns their deaths. Along with our deep sense of loss we remain committed to bringing the terrorists to justice. Our resolve in the fight against terror will only strengthen and we will ensure that murderous terrorism of this sort will not dare to rear its head again."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Yifrach, Sha'er and Frenkel families.

Andy David
Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest

From the Jewish National Fund
This afternoon the world learned of the killings of the three teenagers in Israel, Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19. Our prayers and thoughts go out to their families and to all who knew and loved them.

In a way, their loss is one that we all share. Each of us came to know Naftali, Gilad and Eyal in the last two weeks through the global campaign #BringBackOurBoys. Their story and captivity brought people together from many backgrounds and nations to support their release. It was indeed an unprecedented display of emotion and community not seen in some time.

However, the fact remains that these young men were abducted and struck down for no reason. They were not soldiers but Jewish students who loved Israel, desired to learn Torah, and had their entire lives before them.

In tribute to their lasting memory, Jewish National Fund will create gardens to honor Naftali z"l, Gilad z"l and Eyal z"l.

In the meantime, we will honor the customs of our forefathers and grieve with the families who have lost so much. Our prayers are with them all.
May the families be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.
May the families know no more sorrow.

**************

Well,  maybe the collective outpouring of grief was not universal.

The ever repugnant Jewish Voice for Peace dehumanizes our children, even after their death., in an effort to score cheap political points.

From Jewish Voice for Peace

JVP dehumanizes our murdered children