After the tragedy: hundreds gathered for a memorial evening in Katzrin

Hundreds of family members and residents participated this Friday evening at the Bnei Akiva Golan Ulpana in Katzrin in a memorial evening for the late Yonatan (Tuni) Ephraim Klimian, 16, from Katzrin, who was killed on Sunday after falling from a height while rappelling in Keshet Cave.

The evening took place at the Ulpana, with which the Klimian family has been associated for many years. Yonatan's sister currently studies there, two other sisters are graduates of the institution, and his mother serves as the chair of the parents' committee. Members of the community to which the family belongs also pray on Saturdays in the Ulpana's study hall.

The event was also attended by the head of the Katzrin local council, Yehuda Dua. During the evening, lessons and words of Torah were delivered by Rabbi Eliyahu Mazuz, Rabbi of Katzrin, Rabbi Chaim Eizental, head of the Yeshiva Tichonit in Hispin, Rabbi Osher Tabibi, Rabbi of the Ohel HaNachalim synagogue, Rabbi Yoel Manovich, head of the Golan Yeshiva in Hispin, and Rabbi Sagi Moldovan. Refreshments were served in the Ulpana courtyard for blessings in memory of Yonatan's soul.

"The Ulpana became an open house that night"

The late Yonatan, a yeshiva student and counselor in the Bnei Akiva movement, went on a family trip to Keshet Cave. During the rappelling, he fell from a great height, and rescue teams that arrived at the scene were forced to declare his death. His passing shocked his family and the Katzrin community, where he grew up and was active.

Vardit Teperberg, head of the Bnei Akiva Golan Ulpana in Katzrin, said:

"The Klimian family is a deep and significant part of our community, so for me, there was no question at all. Already on the evening we learned of Tuni's death, we immediately opened the Ulpana to the youth of Katzrin, so they would have a place to be together, to cry, to strengthen each other, and to be embraced by the community. The Ulpana became an open house for everyone that night, and from here, the shuttles to the funeral departed. Therefore, when the idea was raised to hold the memorial evening here, it felt like the most natural thing."

The connection between the family and the Ulpana also accompanied the first days after the tragedy, when the institution opened its gates to the youth and the community, becoming a place of gathering, strengthening, and memory.