Yarden Bibas, the husband of Shiri Bibas, age 32, and the father of Ariel, age four, and Kfir Bibas, 10 months old, gave a moving eulogy for his wife and two children who were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity at their funerals today in the Tzohar Cemetery.
By Rachel Avraham
Yarden Bibas, the husband of Shiri Bibas, age 32, and the father of Ariel, age four, and Kfir Bibas, 10 months old, gave a moving eulogy for his wife and two children who were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity at their funerals today in the Tzohar Cemetery. Wearing an orange kippa, he proclaimed: “Mi amor (my love), I remember the first time I called you mi amor. It was at the beginning of our relationship. You told me to call you that only if I knew for sure that I loved you and not to say it carelessly. So, I did not say it because I did not want you to think I was rushing to say I love you. So Shiri, I will tell you. I loved you already then when I called you mi amor.”
“Shiri, I love you and will always love you,” he continued. “Shiri, you are everything to me. You are the best wife and mother there could be. Shiri, you are my best friend. Mishmish, that’s your nickname. Who will help me make decisions now? How am I supposed to make decisions without you? Do you remember our last decision in the safe room? I asked you do we fight or do we surrender? You said fight, so I fought. Shiri, I am sorry that I could not protect you. If I only knew what would happen, I would not have fired.”
Yarden Bibas proclaimed, “I think about everything that we went through together and there are so many good memories. I remember Ariel and Kfir’s births. I remember when we would sit at home or in a café alone and talk a lot about everything. It was wonderful. I miss those times deeply. Shiri, I miss your presence profoundly. I want to tell you about everything that happens in Israel and the world. Shiri, everyone knows and loves us. You can’t imagine how surreal all of this madness is. Shiri, people tell me that they will always be by my side, but they are not you. So please stay by my side and do not go far.”
In a moving statement that brought all of Israel to tears, Yarden Bibas declared, “Shiri, this is the closest I have been to you since October 7, 2023 and I cannot kiss you, and it is breaking me. Shiri, please watch over me. Protect me from bad decisions, shield me from harmful things, and protect me from myself. Watch over me so I don’t lie in the dark. Mishmish, I love you.”
Yarden Bibas then addressed his eldest son, “Chucki, Ariel, you made me a father. You made us a family. You taught me what is really important in life and about responsibility. The day you were born, I matured in an instant thanks to you. You taught me so much about myself and I want to say thank you. So thank you, my love. Ariel, I hope that you are not mad at me for not being able to protect you properly and not being there for you. I hope that you know that I thought about you every day for every minute. I hope that you’re enjoying paradise.”
Yarden Bibas then hinted about how wonderful his four-year-old son Ariel was: “I am sure that you will make all of the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope that there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did on our picnics. Chuki, be careful when you climb down from your cloud not to step on Toni. Teach Kfir all your impressions and make everyone laugh up there. Ariel, I love you, the most in the world, always in the world. Just like you would tell us.”
Yarden Bibas then turned to his baby son: “Poopik, that’s Kfir’s nickname at home. I didn’t think that our family could be more perfect and then you came along and made it even more perfect. I remember your birth. During the birth, the midwife stopped everything. Mom and I were frightened and thought that something was wrong, but it was just to tell us that we had another redhead. Mom and I laughed and rejoiced. You brought more light and happiness to our little home. You came with your sweet, captivating laugh and smile, and I was instantly hooked in a second.”
He recounted, “It was impossible not to nibble on you all the time. Kfir, I’m sorry that I did not take better care of you. But it’s important for me that you know that I love you very much and miss you very much. I miss nibling on you and hearing you laugh. I miss our morning games, when Mom would ask that I take care of you before I go to work. I cherished these little moments so much and I miss them today more than ever. Kfir, I love you the most in the world, always in the world. I have so many more things to tell you, but I will save them for when we are alone.”
