The depth of the horror of the indiscriminate murders by Arab killers at Kiryat Shemona was dramatized by the disclosure of the names of the victims which indicated, that it was whole families which had been crippled or wiped out.
They included the Shitrit family, the mother, Fanny. 30; and three children, Yocheved, 11, Aharon, 8, and Mott, four. In the Bitton family, the victims were Shimon, 33, Avi, five, and his two-and-a-half year old sister. In the Guetta family, the victims were Miriam and Yaacob, each 30. In the Stern family, death came to Hadassah, 27, and her daughter, Rachel, 8. Mrs. Esther Cohen, 49, perished with her son David, 17 and her daughter, Shulamit, 14. Also dead were Esther Yazada, 60, and Shmuel Ben Abu, 58.
The slain soldiers were identified as acting officer Mordechai Garidi. 20, of Ramat Hasharon and Corp. Abahab el Souhil, 20 from Maona-Tarshiha. Officials said the victims would receive a state funeral tomorrow with Chief Chaplain Mordechai Firon officiating. Police Minister Shlomo Hillel will represent the government.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
