When they woke to sirens Saturday morning, they all gathered in one room. Soon after, they heard gunshots outside and later heard terrorists trying to break into their home.
One by one 10 of them — including a newborn baby — headed out the window, crossed to their neighbor’s roof and hid in an enclosure that housed a solar water heater.
Ariel stayed behind, picking up a metal rod in the room to try and fight off the invading terrorists. Ultimately, he was shot dead while trying to escape out the window. The rest of his family survived and were rescued from the roof hours later.
His wife wrote: “I’m waiting for you, waiting to see you. My heart still believes that you will come back, you have to convince God up above to give you an opportunity to come home.”
May Ariel's memory forever be a blessing.