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13Tel Aviv, Israel, 2 July 2014
A C130 Hercules with Israeli Air Force markings landed at Ben Gurion airport and was directed to a secluded corner, bereft of the bustle of ground operations. The presence of five solemn black hearses added a sombre pall to the scene. The hull door of the C130 opened and afternoon sunlight spilt into its cavernous belly, dispelling shadows, revealing five caskets, each draped with the Israeli flag.
Standing by the right-most hearse, his eyes shielded by sunglasses, Isaiah Bloomthal swallowed and blinked back tears. One of the caskets contained his sister, Ruth Bloomthal. He looked askance at his father, Jacob, standing ramrod straight, a posture unforgotten after years of service to the nation.
The Bloomthal family had given generations to Israel. Isa
