Disturbed frontman David Draiman expressed his sympathies with Yarden Bibas following the funeral of his wife and children on Wednesday, who were murdered in Hamas captivity.
The funeral service for Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, which took place at the cemetery near Moshav Tzahor in the Eshkol Regional Council, included, among other things, a recording of the song Hold On to Memories by the alternative metal band Disturbed.
David Draiman, the band's lead singer, responded on his Instagram account.
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Draiman filmed a video for his story in which he said: "Dear Yarden, hello my brother. I am so sorry for your loss. The entire people of Israel weep with you today. Hold on to the memories of your family. Hold on to the memories of your children and your beloved wife. We will all do this. They will remain in our memory. May the memories of your children and your beloved wife be a blessing to you, always. Am Israel Chai. Be strong."
His words were spoken in English, except for the words "Hello, my brother" and "the people of Israel live," which were spoken in Hebrew.
The song Hold On to Memories was one of three songs played as part of the eulogy ceremony by the Bibas family in dedicated to his family who were murdered in Hamas captivity.
Before it was played, the host of the ceremony, Carmit Palti Katzir, said that the song "expresses the place where Yarden aspires to be and his request from us, through the lyrics of the song, which Yarden chose to dedicate."
"Make the most of the rest of your life. Live the world to the fullest while you have the opportunity. Hold on to the memories. Keep every moment close to your heart to keep them alive. The greatest tragedy of all is when souls are forgotten." The song was played, and not a dry eye was left.
Music as a method to portray feelings
Earlier, Carmit said at the beginning of the eulogy service, "Today's service will feature songs that Yarden chose as another way to express his love and feelings. The words "with whom we shall open" describe where Yarden is now. 'I woke up alone today because all the birds have flown. Inside this empty house that doesn't feel like a home, there is no angel of mercy to hear my call. There is no angel of mercy to wipe away the tears that won't fall. I woke up alone today on the killing fields of the war of life. This door of life is closed forever.'"
The first song played at the funeral was Roman Sky by the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. Host Carmit quoted the lines from the song and applied them to her song: "Were you calm when they took your life/ Before you go, tell us what heaven looks like," and then the recording of the song was played.
The second song played at the funeral was I Thank You Child by American musician, songwriter, and metal guitarist Zach Wylde, known as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and founder of the band Black Label Society.
"Yarden chose to dedicate the song 'I Thank You Child' to Ariel and Kfir," said the host. "Comfort in your eyes, warmth in your smile, faith has strayed from the path. It is you who made life worth living. I thank you, my children. It is you who made life worth living. You are my whole world and everything to me. Know that you will always be there until the end of time." The song was then played.
Thousands of Israelis accompanied them along the road to their final resting place in Tzohar cemetery in Israel's South.
Attendees were tear-stricken and visibly distraught as they struggled through their final goodbyes to the young mother and her infant children, who they had desperately hoped to see rescued from captivity alive.
Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel were buried together in one coffin near the graves of Shiri's parents, Margit and Yossi Silberman, murdered on October 7.
Eve Young and Yuval Levy contributed to this report.