At the Wednesday levaya of Yissachar Dov Spiegel z”l, 21, his father mourned the loss of one son and pleaded for news of another still missing after the brothers entered the sea off Netanya on Friday.

Thousands gathered in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Yerushalayim to give kovod acharon to Yissachar Dov, a yeshiva Bochur who passed away after drowning days earlier off the coast of Netanya. During the hesped, his father cried out, “Where is Avi? Where is he? Why both of them?”

The brothers had entered the water at Tzanz Beach on Friday afternoon. Emergency responders pulled Yissachar Dov from the sea in critical condition and rushed him to Laniado Hospital, where he later died overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. His younger brother, Avraham Yeshayahu “Avi” Spiegel, remains missing, with search efforts ongoing for several days.

In his hesped, Rabbi Shlomo Spiegel described his son as deeply devoted, saying, “He was always drawn to daven, to learn, and to be good.” Framing the loss through faith, he added, “We are returning the deposit pure and complete,” before concluding with the anguished line, “Why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?” (למה אשכל גם שניכם ביום אחד)? (A reference to Rivka’s statement about losing her two sons on the same day.)

Prominent rabbanim who spoke at the funeral echoed the sense of collective grief. One of the maspidim exclaimed “This is Torah and this is its reward?” (a reference to what the Malaachim expressed to Hashem during the tragedy of the Asarah Harugei Malchus, to which Hashem replied that he’d have to overturn creation to explain His reasoning to them) while others urged the public to strengthen unity and interpersonal conduct in the wake of the tragedy.

Rescue teams, including police and volunteer units, have continued searching the waters and shoreline near Netanya for Avi, leaving the family and community confronting an ongoing and unresolved loss.