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KEEPING KOBY'S SPIRIT ALIVE
Even in a year of great tragedy and loss, the murder of 13-year-old Koby Mandell, stoned to death by terrorists in a cave near his Tekoa home in May, 2001, stands out for its incomprehensible brutality and unspeakable horror. For Koby's parents, American olim Seth and Sherri Mandell, and for his classmates and friends at OTS Junior High School for Boys, his recent yahrzeit underscored a year of coping with profound grief and loss and searching for a message of hope in the midst of pain and despair.
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| In Koby's Corner at the OTS Junior High School for Boys, students can borrow the books and games Koby liked best. "We miss Koby terribly," says principal Boaz Columbus. "But we are dedicating ourselves to perpetuating the happiness that he embodied. We've chosen not to dwell on the darkness of his death, but rather on the joy of his life." |
Although Koby's classmates now study in different high schools, the OTS Junior High has become their focus for remembering their friend's buoyant personality, his love of life and his easy smile. Throughout the year they have returned to the school to sanctify Koby's memory with regular Torah study, to hike together in the places Koby loved most, and to create a permanent memorial in his name. Seth and Sherry Mandell also look to the Junior High School as a means of staying in touch with Koby's friends and keeping his spirit alive. Thus, at their request, the school arranged the yahrzeit ceremonies for their son.
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Sherri and Seth Mandell join
principal Boaz Colombus
in admiring the dedication to their son, Koby, z"l. |
Koby's teacher, Rabbi Avi Ben Nun, and his classmate Chaim Knafo spoke at his grave; later, a program in the school's beit midrash included learning in Koby's memory, words from Seth Mandell and some of Koby's friends, and a film produced by the students of conversations with Koby's parents and among themselves. The entire student body participated in the ceremony, along with Koby's friends from Tekoa, the director of the Ministry of Education and the mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.
"It is hard to spend time with Koby's friends, because it brings up all the memories and things that we miss," reflects Seth Mandell in the film. "On the other hand, it keeps him alive and helps fills the void."
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