"We Have a Picture of Ayelet - We Will Make Sure She Looks Like That Again"

With great concern, the people of Israel have been following the recovery of Ayelet Shapira, who was injured several weeks ago by a Molotov cocktail thrown at the family's car as she was driving with her father. Ayelet absorbed the lit bottle, which began burning her, and somehow, with all the strength an eleven-year-old child can muster, she escaped the burning vehicle. After being sedated and ventilated, and with her condition stabilizing miraculously, she is slowly recuperating and already talking to those around her, thank God. Her beautiful eyes, visible in every news item, captivate me. It was hard not to think of this delicate little girl, showing such unexpected resourcefulness, running to her home while burning, fighting excruciating pain, imploring her severely injured father, Avner, that she had no more strength...

I reach her grandfather, Israel Shapira, Avner's father, in the early evening. He is on his way to Ayelet—for a six-hour night shift. Kindly, he dedicates time to talk to me about his eldest granddaughter.

Ayelet Shapira (Photo: courtesy of the family)

A Month Before the Attack — Ayelet's Mother Faced Rocks and a Molotov Cocktail

"What can I say about Ayelet," he slowly repeats my question. "She is my first grandchild, and I may be biased, but she is incredibly smart, grasps things quickly, full of life. Alert, loves to play and read books—things children love to do."

Elmatin, the neighborhood where Avner and Ruth Shapira live, is secluded, a sort of small hill—"Little Switzerland," as Israel describes, along the Kana Stream, near Maale Shomron. "Avner and Ruth were the second couple to move there," he shares. "There are 12-13 caravans, and Ayelet was born and raised there—in this beautiful nature."

On one side is the stream, and on the other, a dominant area—any villain could simply arrive, hide, and act as he pleases. Azun, one of the most notorious villages, is right next to Elmatin. What almost nobody knew was that a month earlier, Ruth, Ayelet's mother, faced a Molotov cocktail that was thrown at her car. Miraculously, it slipped onto the road without igniting. The stones thrown afterward broke the windows and entered the vehicle. A Shin Bet and police force arrived, investigated briefly, asked questions, concluded the incident that ended without bodily harm, and went home.

Returning from a Math Class at Bar-Ilan — A Gifted Child Full of Joy

The day of the attack started as another ordinary day for the Shapira family. Ayelet, a gifted child who was homeschooled by her mother, Ruth, until a year ago, traveled with her father, Avner, to a math class at Bar-Ilan where she studies. "When she first entered a classroom a year ago, they informed her parents she is gifted," her proud grandfather says. "Perhaps this is also why Ayelet, intelligent and mature for her age, managed to save herself and fight for her life in the almost impossible situation she was in."

How do you cope with the new reality?

"We pray," says Israel without hesitation, in a quiet, calm and confident voice, as one clear about the way. "Ruth is very strong. We saw it when she handled Ayelet, who arrived from the attack scene, without hesitation, and afterwards, in her role as a mother, wife, caring for her husband, the child, and the four daughters left at home, all younger than Ayelet."

The embrace from the people of Israel is still felt strongly at the hospital and at the family home, and while the future is shrouded in uncertainty, the Shapira family refuses to look into the unknown. "It simply does not matter. There's no point trying," explains Israel. "We need to deal with the present, with the reality, with Avner's recovery, who was released home last Thursday on a short vacation, and with Ayelet's recovery, which will still take time, and when the time for rehabilitation comes, we'll think about the new situation."

Ayelet is bandaged head to toe, and naturally, there's no way to know what she looks like under the bandages. "But the doctors took her picture and said to us, 'We have a picture of Ayelet – and we will do everything to restore her to how she was.' We know everything is in the hands of heaven, but we also have confidence in the messengers of Hashem for healing."

Most of Ayelet's day is filled with treatments, coping with pain, and medication, "but thank God, she already talks, communicates, is returning to herself," says Israel, and it is clear to him that this is not something taken for granted. "She was in a serious condition," he repeats when I mention this fact. She was sedated and ventilated! It was unclear if she would survive, and here she is, knowing what she wants, developing intelligent conversations with family members – it's simply a pleasure. Sure, she gets tired quickly, after all, her condition is not easy, but we are grateful for every hour of such grace."

Family WhatsApp Group – Waiting in Line to Get a Shift with Ayelet

The Shapira family suddenly fell into an unforeseen routine. "But we are a very large and unified family, and we organized immediately to be with her 24/7," says Israel. National Insurance also assists as much as they can. The parents were given a room at the hospital's lodge, and at home, in Elmatin, women were arranged to receive the daughters left at home, care for them in the evening, and send them to kindergarten and school in the morning.

"I alone have eight siblings," Israel says proudly. "My sister immediately opened a WhatsApp group and arranged six-hour shifts. It is not taken for granted that a cousin's husband would come especially from Be'er Sheva to be on a shift with Ayelet. It's not clear at all that a cousin's wife releases him on a short and busy Friday to be with Ayelet. Sometimes you really have to wait in line to help," he smiles.

How did Ayelet's younger sisters react when they saw her?

"They visited her twice, and it is still difficult to know how the event has affected them," explains Israel. "They are all younger than her. The youngest is a year and a half. But of course, everything is coordinated and accompanied by professionals."

Israel is reluctant to go into stories about the embraces from strangers. "I don't know how much they want me to share, and also, once you start, it's impossible to stop. But there is no doubt that the people of Israel are simply amazing, caring, identifying, and it's so evident that the first words Ayelet wrote, before she could speak, were thank you to the people of Israel who care about her. This feeling is very empowering."

With Eyes to the Future – and a Lot of Faith

Currently, even if they are not focusing on the implications of the tragedy, they have eyes open to the future. "We started thinking about how to handle Ayelet's return home. Although talking about it isn't happening yet, preparations are essential. We answer similarly to everyone who wants to help and is interested, continually asking what can be done. Ayelet and her sisters sleep in a small room in a caravan, and it’s clear she will need a spacious room with a shower, an adjustable bed, special clothes, soft, made from especially delicate fabrics, as her entire body is covered with burns."

Thus was established the Ayelet Fund. "We do not ask for chocolates and flowers. Instead, this is the real answer, the genuine need for assistance for Ayelet."

Ayelet Fund - For Ayelet Shapira

Aren't there sometimes moments of breakdown and despair?

Israel is silent for a moment, and then I detect a hint of a smile in his voice, causing me to wonder. I quickly realize it is not a strange smile but one of determination.

"In 1935, my father's cousin, who was in Israel and one of the first Beitar members, left a synagogue with the worshippers and fought Arabs who attacked them. He sacrificed his life so others could escape. He was buried on the Mount of Olives, and the eulogy for him was written by Benzion Netanyahu. My father lost an eye in the War of Independence in 1948, after surviving concentration camps in 1945. In 1968, my wife's father remained disabled from the War of Attrition, in 1973 her brother was killed — Avner is named after him. In 1987, another brother was stabbed on the Temple Mount by an Arab, and in 1990—a cousin was killed in the 405 bus attack. In 2001, Rabbi Elimelek Shapira was murdered in an attack in Peduel, he too was a cousin."

I am already breathless hearing Israel describe without pause, and I ask if there is more. How much can one family endure?

"What I mean to say," he immediately explains in the same determined tone, "is that nothing will scare us."

Towards the conclusion, perhaps to sharpen the message of pride, continuation, and zero compromises in any situation, Israel shares another short story his father told Spielberg's team in 1995, collecting Holocaust testimonies.

"It was September 1942, Yom Kippur, at a German army labor camp. My father, serving there, approached with a group of Jews to base commanders and requested permission to pray on the holy day. Since it was a military camp, at that time, somewhat tolerable, approval for prayer was granted. People gathered behind one of the barracks to pray.

In the place, a large German supply base for forces fighting Russians, were many train tracks. Suddenly a train arrived, needing to clear tracks and could not continue. This train carried Jews from Belgium to the crematoria in Auschwitz. In one carriage, a Jew managed to reach a window. He opened it, looked around, and suddenly saw a group of Jews praying. He began to shout: 'We are Jews from Belgium, being taken to death, remember vengeance is needed!' The man repeatedly shouted the same sentences over and over.

This documentation of my father was on a summer day, with many grandchildren visiting. My father opened the window, showed the team the children playing in the yard, and said: This is my revenge.

And with this optimism, which Israel Shapira declares without hesitation, I know Ayelet has a challenging path to reconstruct her life, but a firm backbone is assured – absolutely.