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NEWS
R' Aharon Avadian, Hy"d
by Yisrael Rutman
On Monday afternoon, July 2nd, Aharon
Avadian, father of four from Zichron Yaakov, was shot and
killed by terrorists outside an Arab town in Israel. His
death did not attract the attention of the world media. Nor
did Israeli broadcasting give it more than cursory coverage.
It seemed to be just another in a long list of Jews murdered
by Palestinian Arabs over the past year, over the past
century. What was there, after all, to make his killing
newsworthy? He was not a well-known personality. It was not
particularly brutal, as these things go. He was not a
"settler," "occupying Palestinian territory." He was not a
soldier, but a civilian, on his way home from work one
afternoon, traveling within the pre-1967 borders, in
undisputed Israeli territory. So what was there to say about
him? The media indeed could find little to say, and by the
next day, its attention was focussed on the next victims of
the intifada.
At his funeral, there were no cameras and no demonstrators
calling for vengeance, either. According to custom in such
cases, the phrase, HaShem Yikom Domo, "May G-d avenge
his blood," is appended to the name of the martyr. Vengeance
is the A-lmighty's business, not ours. This, in stark
contrast to the Palestinian funerals, which are routinely
exploited to whip up the masses, where cries of "death to
the Jews" form the main eulogy. Instead, the family and
friends of Avadian marked his departure from this world in
the traditional Jewish way---by remembering how he lived his
life and drawing lessons from it for how to live theirs. And
on this there was much to be said. For Aharon Avadian was an
exemplary individual, whose life was replete with Torah and
good deeds.
What is best-known was his participation in the regional
Hatzalah unit. He was one of the hundreds of religious Jews
throughout Israel who give of their time and energy on a
voluntary basis to the saving of lives. Since he worked as a
kashrut supervisor in a factory located near Arab
villages, he often responded to calls in that area. More
than one of the local Arab residents owes his life today to
Aharon Avadian's skilled and helping hands. When cautioned
by friends about the risk he was taking in going into Arab
areas, he replied, "But aren't they also human beings? If I
can help, how can I stay back?"
Indeed, he was known to one and all as a ba'al
chesed, a person whose life was one long chain of acts
of kindness. Always it was done with a quiet grace, never
seeking to attract attention to himself. Whether it involved
taking care of a sick parent, or gathering and disseminating
food for the poor, or giving rides to people, or helping to
build up the local synagogue, or just picking up a bag of
cucumbers for a neighbor, he went about it with the same
unassuming joy in helping others.
It is no wonder, then, that when Aharon Avadian was buried
late, the night following his murder, the streets of our
neighborhood in Zichron Yaakov were choked with the traffic
of mourning, as hundreds of people came out to accompany him
to his final resting place. And during the shivah,
literally thousands came from all over the country to
join in the impossible task of trying to comfort the widow
and the orphans. Their apartment was far too small to
accomodate the daily throng, and so the entrance area of
their building was turned into a makeshift synagogue. The
voice of prayer and Torah filled the air for seven days. Our
memories of him have filled our minds long after.
One of the rabbis who eulogized him spoke of his
relationship with Avadian over the years. Avadian was a
ba'al teshuvah, and the rabbi had played an important
part in guiding him through a slow and sometimes difficult
transition. He would not commit himself until he was sure
that it was right, and that he was ready. The rabbi, a
renowned Torah scholar and lecturer, related that he would
stand up for Aharon Avadian when he entered the room,
despite the latter's protests. He explained that although
Aharon's scholarly attainments could not compare to his,
true accomplishment in this world is not judged by how much
you know or do, but by how much you overcome and grow to
your potential. "Considering where he came from, and where I
came from, I was the one who had to stand up in honor of
him, and not the other way around."
For me, one image of Aharon Avadian will stand out in my
mind forever. Every Shabbos morning I could see him walking
home from synagogue with his teenage sons, their arms slung
affectionately around his shoulders. I would watch them from
behind, as they passed below my window. That is how I shall
remember him, disappearing down the street and into another
world. A world where acts of love and kindness are the news
that dominate the headlines day after day. A world where
they stand up for the likes of Aharon Avadian. Hashem
Yikom Domo.
Anyone wishing to donate money to assist Mrs. Avadian and
her four children may send to: Rafi Menat, 827/10 Ramat
Tsvi, Zichron Yaakov. Do not send cash, only checks payable
to Irit Avadian, with two lines marked above the payee
("cross"), and marked lamutav bilevad.
Yisrael Rutman writes on Jewish matters for various
publications.
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