The Halamish Massacre started while the family was sitting down to a special Shabbat dinner to celebrate the birth of a new baby in the family. Elad, the baby’s uncle, came to Halamish with his wife Michal and five small children.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Elad’s sister Chaya went to answer it thinking it was a guest from the community who had arrived to share in the celebration.
It turned out to be a terrorist with a knife. He stabbed Chaya and then Elad’s father Yosef, killing them both. Then he stabbed Elad’s mother Tovah, who survived with severe injuries.
Finally, the terrorist turned to Elad Salomon. The two fought for some time until the terrorist managed to fatally wound Elad as well. While the two struggled, Michal managed to take the children to safety in another room.
Michal’s presence of mind and heroism prevented an unthinkable tragedy. At Elad’s funeral, she said she believed Elad had made it possible for her to save the children. “On Friday night we signed an unwritten agreement,” she said. “
“You saw me run upstairs with the children to protect them and you fought with the terrorist so he wouldn’t harm us. I stood by my part of the bargain and so did you and you paid with your life.
“You were a perfect husband, we couldn’t have asked for any more. You were excited by our kids. You cared about them. You played with them like a kid yourself,” she continued. “Now you are not here for me and it scares me.”
Elad worked as a computer technician and lived in the town of Elad. He leaves behind his mother, his wife, five children ranging in age from 1 to 9, two sisters, and a brother.