Home at Last

(Photo: Flash90) Finally, kever Yisrael: Zachary Baumel Hy”d

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achary Baumel’s father, Yonah, never stopped searching for his youngest son. When Yonah died in 2009 at the age of 81, it was a source of great pain that he hadn’t found him yet.

Last Thursday, Yonah Baumel’s dying wish was fulfilled when Zachary was finally laid to rest 37 years after he was captured in a fierce tank battle at Sultan Yacoub, Syria, during the First Lebanon War.

Israel’s president recalled that Yonah traveled the world over to plead with state officials for any information that might lead to the discovery of his son’s remains. “He taught us a lesson in dedication, determination, and a father’s love for his son,” President Reuven Rivlin said last week on Har Herzl, where thousands turned out for the burial of Zachary. “Yonah, today we can finally tell you — you did not see the day, but the mission to bring Zachary home to be buried in Israel has been completed.”