The daughter and son-in-law of a Brandeis University professor were killed protecting their teenage son with their bodies when Hamas terrorists attacked their home in Israel over the weekend, the educator revealed.
Ilan Troen, an Israel scholar who recently retired from his role at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, said his daughter, Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias, and her husband, Shlomi Mathias, had taken refuge in a safe room when Gaza gunmen entered their home and opened fire. , killing the couple and injuring their 16-year-old son, Rotem Mathias.
“My daughter and son-in-law were killed today, but, in their death, were saved [my teenage grandson’s] life. They followed his body. They are all together in a safe room. And they covered his body, and he was saved,” Troen told NPR.
“He – however, the bullet went through them and went into his stomach,” he said, although their son survived.
Heartfelt tributes poured in for the pair, with one describing Shlomi as “a loving person who loved to make music, who loved to teach, who loved life and who loved the country he lived in.”
A friend of Debbie said she was a “beautiful soul” and shared a photo of the couple.
“I cannot believe my Friend and fellow poet Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias and her husband were killed in this senseless and horrific attack on Israel,” Ayala Zarfjian wrote on Facebook.
“We write poetry online and encourage each other. She is a beautiful soul. Last week, I was very happy to see the beautiful pictures from their holiday in the Netherlands. Rest in peace.”
Brandeis University confirmed Troen’s daughter and son-in-law were among the 600 Israelis killed during the surprise attack by Hamas terrorists.
“We at Brandeis are deeply saddened to learn that Professor Troen has lost his daughter and son-in-law in the tragic events taking place in Israel. Ilan, a Brandeis alumnus, and his family have long been members of the Brandeis community, and we keep Ilan, his wife Carol, and his entire family in our thoughts,” the university wrote in a statement to WBZ.
Debbie Shahar Troen Mathias and Shlomi Mathias were killed protecting their teenage son. Facebook/Debbie Shahar
BREAKING: Brandeis University confirms their professor’s daughter and son-in-law were killed in an attack in Israel. Prof. Ilan Troen and his wife Carol are longtime members of Brandeis. #wbz pic.twitter.com/zMWNno6F8E
— Tiffany Chan (@TiffanyWBZ) October 8, 2023
Brandeis University confirmed Troen’s daughter and son-in-law were among the 600 Israelis killed during the surprise attack by Hamas terrorists. Facebook/Debbie Shahar
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence we saw today against innocent civilians,” the statement continued.
As the news spread online, Martin Kramer, a historian at Tel Aviv University, noted Troen had recently returned to Israel after retirement.
“My friend Ilan Troen, who has done so much for Israeli studies in America, has suffered an unimaginable loss. He had just retired from Brandeis and returned to Israel. A miracle wrapped in tragedy,” Kramer wrote.
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In an article published on the university’s website in 2017, announcing Troen’s retirement, he said he had always encouraged the study of Israel “not with contemptuous cooperation or criticism, but because one would study other societies with all their complexities and contradictions.”
Ilan Troen recently moved back to Israel to be closer to his family. Facebook/Debbie Shahar
On Sunday, the security cabinet in Israel officially voted to declare war — the first since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the Jewish State for a “long and difficult war” Sunday as his administration responded to a surprise attack by Hamas terrorists that killed at least 600 Israelis.
“We are starting a long and difficult war. War has been forced upon us by murderous attacks by Hamas. The first phase ended in these few hours by destroying most of the enemy forces that have penetrated our territory,” Netanyahu said, according to a translation.
“We will restore security to the people of Israel and we will win.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
