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Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser (Archives)
Last update - 07:25 18/07/2008
Rabbis felt emotional difficulty in identifying remains
By Yair Ettinger and Yuval Azoulay , Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Eldad Regev, Hezbollah 

Identifying the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev was not a difficult task, contrary to reports in the media, said Lt. Colonel (res.) Yaakov Roja. Since the Yom Kippur War, Rabbi Roja has been involved in identifying the remains of fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers and is considered an expert.

"We received the remains very late due to a delay at the crossing point because the bomb squad needed to check the coffins for Hezbollah booby traps," he said.

"In the end we completed the identification and confirmed the identities. We knew beyond any doubt which body belongs to whom. The difficulty was more emotional than it was scientific," Rabbi Roja said.
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The former chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, Brigadier General (res.) Israel Weiss, Thursday accused Hezbollah of reaching a new low in the way it handled the remains of the two soldiers. "We know the enemy, but this time the Hezbollah reached a new low respecting the dead," he said.

Although he had not been involved in the process of identifying the remains of the two reservists, he told Haaretz he had been told the work of the army's medical and rabbinate officials involved in the identification was significantly more difficult than on previous occasions.

Weiss also stressed the identification had been completed beyond any doubt.

The current IDF chief rabbi, Brigadier General Avichai Ronsky, told reporters Wednesday that identifying remains "was a difficult and complex process."

A dozen forensic experts were involved in identifying the two soldiers, and Roja said "we felt the full brunt of the mission, as if an entire nation was looking over our shoulder and waiting to see what will happen. There was a load of two years on our shoulders."

Roja stressed the importance of identification beyond all doubt because of its significance regarding Karnit Goldwasser, who before was considered an aguna, or "chained woman," since her husband's fate was not determined, who now had the status of a widow.

Related articles:
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  • Regev and Goldwasser to receive military funerals Thursday
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      1.   Hypocracy 05:33  |  Ya Ghareeb 18/07/08
      2.   And once again... 05:34  |  y 18/07/08
      3.   So which one is it? 05:34  |  Ya Ghareeb 18/07/08
      4.   exchange 05:47  |  AntiLiberal 18/07/08
      5.   So what was so difficult????? 06:21  |  Puzzled 18/07/08
      6.   Confused 06:22  |  Baz Mann 18/07/08
      7.   Puzzled - what with the facts? 07:18  |  Miche Norman 18/07/08
      8.   Despicable Hizbullah 07:20  |  MF 18/07/08
      9.   #3, "confused" 07:21  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/07/08
      10.   I Don`t Know About This 07:27  |  Jeff Northridge 18/07/08
      11.   Look who is talking about respecting the dead? 07:38  |  Mark 18/07/08
      12.   Puzzled, I am confused 07:53  |  Dan 18/07/08
      13.   Don`t blame Hezbollah for stupid religious law 08:27  |  Ulf 18/07/08
      14.   The Big difference BETWEEN Arab and Jewish Prisoners 08:39  |  Dagma 18/07/08
      15.   Hozbollah reached new LOW. 08:50  |  charlie 18/07/08
      16.   From the very beginning.... 09:10  |  R 18/07/08
      17.   #2 + #3 puzzled & confused & methinks a wee 09:44  |  FLUFFY 18/07/08
      18.   #2 +#3 CONTINUED 09:59  |  FLUFFY 18/07/08
      19.   #3, "confused" 09:59  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/07/08
      20.   #7, Jeff Northridge 10:35  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/07/08
      21.   So whats the problem 10:36  |  Andrew 18/07/08
      22.   Refining #1 10:44  |  Driftwood 18/07/08
      23.   nr 21: Andrew 11:26  |  Serge 18/07/08
      24.   emotional difficulty 11:56  |  Ralph 18/07/08
      25.   Puzzled : Israel didn`t kill prisoners, neither did Hezbollah. 12:15  |  Arthur 18/07/08
      26.   NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET...... 13:04  |  Dagma 18/07/08
      27.   Puzzled - Simple... Arabs DO NOT care about there dead.. Are 13:39  |  awesome 18/07/08
      28.   Puzzled - Simple... Arabs DO NOT care about there dead.. Are 13:39  |  awesome 18/07/08
      29.   In south leb, the cluster bombs are causing more than emot diff 13:43  |  Aounist 18/07/08
      30.   Mark - What is right to release the devil Kuntar who smashed 13:52  |  Ben 18/07/08
      31.   Mark - What is right to release the devil Kuntar who smashed 13:52  |  Ben 18/07/08
      32.   # 19 CJK 14:02  |  Axel 18/07/08
      33.   "Hit new low"? There is no crime a shi`a cleric has not done 14:02  |  Sima 18/07/08
      34.   Identity-based ethics 14:17  |  Bob 18/07/08
      35.   identity-based ethics 2 14:20  |  Bob 18/07/08
      36.   identity-based ethics 3 14:23  |  Bob 18/07/08
      37.   Mark 11 14:25  |  Sabra 18/07/08
      38.   Axel: No Desecration With Rat Poison Tipped Nails 14:29  |  Tex 18/07/08
      39.   This Rabbi should be more specific 15:42  |  Mark B. 18/07/08
      40.   Hezbollah and respect, 15:52  |  David Nigel Braham 18/07/08
      41.   Two of a Kind 15:57  |  Ghassan 18/07/08
      42.   Jews are occupiers, invaders, murderers, thieves and liars 16:35  |  KMS 18/07/08
      43.   Hezbollah Debased Itself 16:45  |  Natallie Durson 18/07/08
      44.   Hezbollah Debased Itself 16:45  |  Natallie Durson 18/07/08
      45.   #29 Aounist - Serves them right 16:56  |  Natallie Durson 18/07/08
      46.   # 38 tex 18:18  |  Axel 18/07/08
      47.   cannot believe the tone on this talkback 18:25  |  ruth 18/07/08
      48.   To KMS 18:51  |  MichaelF 18/07/08
      49.   # 42 ruth 19:16  |  Axel 18/07/08
      50.   Axel #41 and Tex 19:19  |  Miransky 18/07/08
      51.   Reply to # 13 Why is it stupid? 20:20  |  Sherlock Holmes 18/07/08
      52.   Natalie 20:27  |  northern neighbor 18/07/08
      53.   Simple question 21:06  |  Mike 18/07/08
      54.   #20 Aounist - Rerfresh my recollection 21:46  |  * BEN JABO 18/07/08
      55.   #13 Ulf u Oaf 22:24  |  * BEN JABO 18/07/08
      56.   Bob 34-36: One of the few reasonable postings 22:52  |  Andreas 18/07/08
      57.   Hezbollah Does Not Care 05:21  |  Ron 19/07/08
      58.   #54 Mike - Simple answer 06:45  |  * BEN JABO 19/07/08
      59.   Hezbollah has committed a war crime 07:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/07/08
      60.   prepackaged responses for non existent subject or object 08:48  |  tea man 19/07/08
      61.   response to #1 Hypocracy 09:32  |  a 19/07/08
      62.   response to #1 09:37  |  a 19/07/08
      63.   To all above hatemongers 11:20  |  FreeOne 19/07/08
      64.   Hysteria 12:27  |  Ben Alofs 19/07/08
      65.