Itamar marks 2 years since Fogel family massacre

"Time does not heal the pain, and as the days go by all I can feel is how deep the pain is," said Tzila Fogel, mother of Udi Fogel, who was murdered two years ago, when two Palestinian terrorists broke into the family residence and brutally stabbed Udi, his wife Ruth and their three children Yoav (11), Elad (4) and Hadas (three months).

Tzila spoke at a ceremony marking two years since the five family members were massacred in the settlement of Itamar. The ceremony was held in the precence of cabinet ministers, IDF officers and rabbis.

Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman said: "In recent days, everyone's been talking about equal share of the burden, and here we have a family that carried the heaviest possible burden. We must make sure that no one is forced to bear that burden ever again."

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz also spoke at the ceremony, in which a new yeshiva dorm building in memory of the family was inaugurated, stressing that the only revenge for the Fogel family murder was to "continue to build and develop; we will continue to build and develop this place."

IDF Central Command Chief Nitzan Alon spoke of the new building named after the family, adding that "I wish that in this seminary you will teach students the Torah, as well as civility."

A group of settlers threatened to thwart the event in protest of Alon's presence. Alon was known to frequently clash with settlers during outpost evictions when he served as head of the Judea and Samaria Division.

In response to the threats, Rabbi Avichai Rontzki told the group that if they interfere with the ceremony they will be physically harmed.

Family members who survived the massacre, including Ruth and Udi's daughter Tamar, who had found her parents' and siblings' bodies, also attended the ceremony.

A family relative told Ynet that "Tamar, Yishai and Roi are growing up to be positive individuals, who also deal with great pain."

On March 11, 2011, terrorists infiltrated the Itamar settlement and murdered five members of the Fogel family in their home. Three of Udi and Ruth's children, Tamar, Roi and Yishai survived the massacre, since the terrorists fled without reaching all the rooms in the house.

The two murderers, cousins Hakim and Amjad Awad, who live in the West Bank village of Awarta, were apprehended by the IDF, convicted in court and sentenced to five consecutive life sentences each.

Ynet