Paying homage to the fallen: Some thirty thousand people accompany the lone soldier, Sergeant First Class Max Steinberg, to his final resting place. People from all over the country came to the funeral, and the Jerusalem Municipality issued a statement that following the mass funeral, people are asked to arrive in the area by public transportation only. The Municipality also organized 'shuttles' – transportation from the Teddy parking lot to the funeral procession.
The mass participation comes after a call was circulated online last night to attend the soldier's funeral and pay his last respects.
At the funeral, the soldier's parents, who came from California, delivered an emotional eulogy in English: "You are a true hero. We know why you came to Israel, because of the people here." Also delivering the eulogy was one of his commanders, who spoke of Max's excellence in every mission, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, the military chief rabbi, who read the Psalms chapter. The soldier's father and brother recited Kaddish.
The day before, First Sergeant Sean Carmeli, also a lone soldier from Texas, was buried in a funeral attended by tens of thousands of people who responded to the call of his friends on social media to pay their last respects.
Sergeant Max Steinberg, 24, was killed in the APC disaster on the night between Saturday and Sunday, in which 6 other soldiers lost their lives. He immigrated from California and enlisted in the Golani in 2012. After his death, he was promoted to the rank of first sergeant.
His friend Matan Hakak posted an emotional eulogy on Facebook: "I want to tell you about my Max, my brother, today I became a bereaved brother, today my heart is burning.
From today on, every Memorial Day will break me down, from today on, I dedicate myself to your memory. I promise you that you will never be forgotten, I promise you that your legacy will continue, I promise you that I will try to be a better person even though I will never be like you. You managed to say goodbye to me on Friday on the phone, you managed to say goodbye to Mom and Dad, to Diana, to Michael, Jake and Paige, your siblings that you loved so much.
"I am sure that until your last breath you thought about your people that you were protecting and knew that you were willing to give everything for the sake of the home. May your memory be blessed forever and ever, my hero. I love you.".
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