Hodaya Nechama Asulin, 21, succumbed to her wounds on Nov. 22, 2017 from a terrorist attack in 2011 that left her with severe brain damage. She leaves behind her parents and six brothers and sisters.
The attack took place when Hodaya was 14 years old. She was waiting for a bus home to Mevo Choron near the Jerusalem Convention Center. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion right near where she was sitting. Terrorists had planted a powerful bomb in a bag behind the bus stop.
The explosion damaged her brain stem. She remained in a vegetative state for the past six years.
For two years, Odaya lived at Alyn, a world renowned childrens’ rehabilitative hospital. However, her condition did not improve and doctors came to the decision to move her home. The family prepared a room in their home for the move. She lived there for four years.
Two weeks before her death, her condition had suddenly deteriorated. At her funeral, her mother Michal spoke about how fortunate the family was to be with her for her brief life.
“We received you as a gift twice, once 21 years ago and a second time six and a half years ago. An innocent and pure child, you were exceptionally sensitive, and you had a keen sense of what was happening with others.
“G-d chose you as an emissary to bear suffering for the people, G-d chose you to be a soldier for the people of Israel. Pray, Hodaya, for the people of Israel, pray for your family and your many friends. You have dedicated your soul to sanctify G-d’s name.”
Her father, Eliyahu, noted that “there were a lot of prayers, Torah lessons, and mitzvot, a lot of youth became stronger thanks to Hodaya. Generation of the future, your prayers were not in vain.”