Beneath the grey skies of Sharon, Massachusetts, hundreds of tearful mourners gathered at Temple Sinai of Sharon to commemorate the life of their dear friend Ezra Schwartz, who was eighteen years old when his life was brutally extinguished by a hateful terrorist attack in Israel.
Ezra’s murder rocked the American community, igniting a pain that struck very close to the heart. Some 7,000 viewers watched the funeral online, and close to 1,500 people—ranging from close friends and fellow community members to Jews from all over America—united in attendance.
One hour before the start of the service, the synagogue was filled to maximum capacity. Approximately 1,000 people filled every seat and the surrounding open space in the sanctuary, while hundreds of others gathered bravely in the cool temperatures and sporadic rain to listen to loved ones share their memories of Ezra.
For around two hours, family members, mentors and teachers spoke deeply and fondly of Ezra, describing him as one with “boundless energy” and who was “capable of befriending anyone.” He was remembered as a caring leader and loving friend, not only by his three younger brothers and his campers, but to all who were blessed to share a bond with him.
The service began with strong words of remembrance and reflection by the rabbi of the temple, Rabbi Meir Sender. During the course of his speech, in which he mentioned Ezra’s caring character and avid community service, the rabbi repeated several times, “His life is a meaningful life, and his death is a meaningful death.” These words showed the kind of life Ezra led, the passion and goodness he consisted of, as well as the way in which he died—”in the arms of his homeland.”
Ezra’s family followed with emotional eulogies, each expressing moving memories and feelings of their own. Ezra’s father, Ari Schwartz, was the first to speak.
“We will never forget his sense of humor and his love for sports,” Mr. Schwartz said. He elaborated on the meaning and connections that can be created through sports as it did between him and his son. Mr. Schwartz recalled tenderly that Ezra not only loved watching sports, especially the Patriots, but loved playing them as well—he was an avid baseball player throughout his life. “I loved to watch him play,” Mr. Schwartz said, with deep inflection in his voice, “and he loved that I loved to watch him.”
Mr. Schwartz also expressed a fear that he had long had; that Ezra’s peculiar idiosyncrasies might inhibit him from making friends. “Now I know there was nothing to worry about,” he said, citing the numerous stories he’d been hearing from friends of Ezra, all of whom said that the quirks added to Ezra’s humor and amiability.
“Ezra had a great life,” Mr. Schwartz said. “We are proud of who he was. He had eighteen great years. That is how he will be remembered.”
“His life was abruptly ended on a mission of loving kindness,” shared Ezra’s mother, Ruth Schwartz.
Ezra was shot while on his way to deliver food to soldiers in Etzion of the West Bank region.
“Our family will never be complete again,” she said, through tears.
With only twenty-one months between them, Ezra’s older sister Mollie described their relationship as one in which they were always paired together, being referred to always as “Mollie and Ezra.” She explained, while having decided from the beginning to speak to Ezra rather than about him, that the topic of her conversations were very frequently about Ezra.
Through flowing tears and a quivering voice, she recounted her memories of their inseparable childhood bond: “Power Boy” and “Power Girl” going on their secret nighttime missions together. She recalled Ezra’s devotion to his brothers. “You played and played with our brothers until there was no playtime left.”
During their last conversation, Mollie recalled her distress about her chemistry exam, and then Ezra’s words, which at the time she disregarded, but now holds dearly to her heart. “Stop worrying so much. Do your best. You need to try to have fun.”
“All I wanted was to be more like you,” Mollie said. “I am going to be happy for the both of us from now on, I promise.”
“The power of the community has been incredible,” said Liorah Rubinstein, a student here at Stern and a previous classmate of Mollie, Ezra’s sister. “Amidst this tragedy, this is the one comfort I find in the embrace of our akhdut—both at my school, Maimonides, and my home town, Boston—as well as the Jewish people at large.” Rubinstein added that this mass unified response shows “that we are all as dear to the community as he was.”
Ezra’s murder has wounded the hearts of so many who loved him. He has become a national symbol for the terror that is ceaselessly ripping at the Jewish people, and which has taken more than 100 lives since September.