Air Force Captain Asaf Ramon was laid to rest Monday at Nahalal cemetery next to his father, Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. Assaf was killed when the F-16 plane he was piloting crashed into Hebron Hills on Sunday.
Asaf's brothers, Tal and Yiftach, said Kadish and President Shimon Peres gave a speech at the gravesite in the name of "a nation awed and stricken with grief; an entire country silent and weeping".
Peres told the two brothers that when he had pinned a set of pilot's wings on Asaf's uniform just three months ago he had said a silent prayer, "Do not raise your hand against the boy".
Peres turned to Asaf's mother and said, "Rona, you were brave already. You were brave and you will remain brave."
He added, "I know there have never been words that can heal. An entire nation – every citizen – is hurting and crying, each on the shoulder of his brother. But this is not enough to fill the space of the heartbeats when you hear the boy come home from the base for the weekend, and they can never fill the empty bed, the closet, and the shirt with the wings, the laughter echoing in the home, the hug, and the kiss."
The president said, "Today we are all Ramons. You will return to the photos in the father's albums… especially to the memories, the moments of glory in space and in the sky, and to the breaking points in the skies of Texas and the Hebron Hills.
"Our broken hearts are with you in every tear, every smile-sparking memory, and every moment of wrenching pain. Consolation is far away but there are things to be proud of, and there are things to hope for," he added.
Rona Ramon also spoke at the funeral. "You've left me in a trap," she said. "Ilan, I know that now you are watching him but I wanted him here a little longer."
Addressing Asaf, she said, "I know your father is watching you now, holding you, and loving you. To me you are king of the world."
Among those attending the funeral Monday were IAF and IDF officers and politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US special envoy George Mitchell.
Ramon's coffin was carried by six of his pilot friends, behind whom walked his mother, Rona, his two brothers, Tal and Yiftach, and his sister, Noa.
Asaf's brothers, Tal and Yiftach, said Kadish and President Shimon Peres gave a speech at the gravesite in the name of "a nation awed and stricken with grief; an entire country silent and weeping".
Peres told the two brothers that when he had pinned a set of pilot's wings on Asaf's uniform just three months ago he had said a silent prayer, "Do not raise your hand against the boy".
Peres turned to Asaf's mother and said, "Rona, you were brave already. You were brave and you will remain brave."
He added, "I know there have never been words that can heal. An entire nation – every citizen – is hurting and crying, each on the shoulder of his brother. But this is not enough to fill the space of the heartbeats when you hear the boy come home from the base for the weekend, and they can never fill the empty bed, the closet, and the shirt with the wings, the laughter echoing in the home, the hug, and the kiss."
The president said, "Today we are all Ramons. You will return to the photos in the father's albums… especially to the memories, the moments of glory in space and in the sky, and to the breaking points in the skies of Texas and the Hebron Hills.
"Our broken hearts are with you in every tear, every smile-sparking memory, and every moment of wrenching pain. Consolation is far away but there are things to be proud of, and there are things to hope for," he added.
Rona Ramon also spoke at the funeral. "You've left me in a trap," she said. "Ilan, I know that now you are watching him but I wanted him here a little longer."
Addressing Asaf, she said, "I know your father is watching you now, holding you, and loving you. To me you are king of the world."
Among those attending the funeral Monday were IAF and IDF officers and politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US special envoy George Mitchell.
Ramon's coffin was carried by six of his pilot friends, behind whom walked his mother, Rona, his two brothers, Tal and Yiftach, and his sister, Noa.
