Shani had been scheduled to finish his tour of duty later that day

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Haim understood immediately that his younger brother Sgt.-Maj. Shani Turgeman, 24, was in Wednesday's attack along the Lebanese border even though the media released only sketchy details. "I heard it was in the north. I knew where he was serving, so I knew it was him," Haim told The Jerusalem Post. "I called his cell phone a number of times and there was no answer. Then a recorded message said his phone was turned off." After that, there was nothing else to do, Haim said, but to wait for the phone call that he knew would come from the army telling him that his quiet, shy, artistic brother was one of eight soldiers killed that day. The middle child of parents who immigrated from Morocco in the 1960s, Shani showed an interest in graphic art as a teen and worked for a local newspaper. Shani had begun studying the subject at Sivan college following his return four months ago from a post-army trip to South America. Haim said he last saw his brother two weeks ago before he left for reserve duty. It was a normal meeting, nothing special, said Haim, who added that Shani had been scheduled to finish his tour of duty later that day. Instead of welcoming him back, his parents Albert and Marcel, along with Haim and younger sister Einav spent the day in the family's Beit She'an home struggling to deal with the sudden loss. The funeral is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday in the military cemetery in Beit She'an.