Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaherr, 37, from Ramat Gan, was a hilarious and bright character who was tragically lost when Hamas forces fired a rocket-propelled grenade on multiple adjacent structures in the southern Gaza Strip, killing 21 soldiers.
He was a reserve combat soldier in Battalion 8208, Brigade 261, who was called in when the war broke out. His funeral was held Tuesday at the Sgula Cemetery in Petah Tikva.
"You mostly laughed, smiled, made faces, and were silly," said Gontmaherr's brother, Ilya. "And now, you've gone. Your dirty jokes are gone, as well. We are left in a bubble, a bubble of sadness, darkness and missing you.
"Time will pass, and your children will grow to be good-hearted like you," he said. "You're gone, my little brother, but already tomorrow, you will come back to us in the wind, in the rain."
Mayor of Ramat Gan at the funeral
Carmel Shama-Hacohen, Ramat Gan mayor, spoke at the funeral, saying, "Another family was destroyed, another woman was widowed, more children were orphaned, and another wonderful man paid with his life."
He further stated that when he had initially heard on Monday about the catastrophe that had killed so many soldiers, he had "almost canceled" his attendance at an "event in honor of the welfare branch's volunteers" but then decided that "with all the sorrow and pain we must be strong and united and continue."
His comments were met with a mixture of tears and scoffs from the onlooking audience.