"Master of the World, How Do You Eulogize a Baby?"

Chani Katz, the mother of 6-month-old Aharon (Ari) Katz z"l, who passed away on Monday in a tragedy at a Jerusalem daycare, penned a chilling and painful eulogy while waiting for authorities to release her son’s body for burial.

While waiting to bring her son to his final rest, Chani wrote a series of heart-wrenching questions addressed to God.

"Master of the World, how do you eulogize a baby? How much he loved tickles and kisses? How much he smiled and when he wanted to cry? How mischievous he was, and which pacifier he loved the best? How much he weighed, and at what age he crawled?"

Chani continued, imagining her son’s place in the afterlife:

"And what, Master of the World, do the sweet souls do in the Garden of Eden for babies? Do they draw angels? Are mothers laughing?

Do they sit in a circle of righteous ones, whole little hearts beating, telling stories about the End of Days?

And is the sky up there, Master of the World, not too big for a tiny baby who only knows how to crawl?"

Following the tragedy, police have arrested two caregivers from the daycare. Currently, the High Court of Justice is set to decide whether to approve an autopsy of the infant's body, a procedure often contested in religious communities due to the delay in burial and sanctity of the body.

Chani Katz is a well-known figure among bereaved families in Israel. Following the massacre on October 7 (Simchat Torah), Chani and her sister established the "Tachshik" initiative. Through this project, they created and donated memorial necklaces bearing the pictures and names of fallen soldiers and murder victims to their grieving families. Now, the woman who spent months comforting the bereaved has joined their circle.