Shakib Shanan:
"My son, Kamil, was a total of 3 or 4 months on guard duty while serving the Border Police in the old city of Jerusalem. The whole time he was stationed there I was worried, but he was always able to calm me down. He said to me: "Don’t worry Dad, this is the safest place in the world. " When the worst happened, he had the great honor of dying for the State of Israel in the holiest place for the Jewish people and for all of humanity. So I said to myself if God chose that my son will die in this holy place, I need to respect his memory and the will of the creator of the World. I remember standing in front of his open grave and wishing I could have been there in his place and that he would have eulogized me instead.
There is nothing in the world equal to the loss of a son or daughter. This loss started on that day, 14.7.2017, an unforgettable day, and it does not recede or disappear over time nor is it a wound that heals. It is an open wound prolonged from incessant pain that is unlikely to ever end. Love is a grand thing, there is nothing like the love of a Father or Mother has for their child, from the moment the child first sees light and shouts his first cry, until his voice is silent and no longer heard - this period is a very special time, but separation is a terrible thing. It is an open pain, a wound that will always remain open.
In order to commemorate my son Kamil, I decided to build in his memory A Center of Values and Education, for promoting relations between the Jewish people and the Druze community. I believe that the State of Israel is the best place in the world to be a Jew or a Druze, my love for this country is unlimited. My identity as a proud member of the Druze community is unlimited. My combination of love for both the State of Israel and the Druze community makes me want to share with everyone that Israel is the best place in the world.
With all the sorrow and terrible pain we felt, the warm embraces we received during that difficult time had no equivalence. And although not everything is pink, the parts that are pink make up all the parts-stained black, and that leaves the mutual commitment between Druze and Jews strong enough to weather any storm to come."
RIP - Kamil Shanan - 14.7.2017 - 29.8.1994
