Sgt. Shahar Shalev, the 72nd casualty of Operation Protective Edge, was laid to rest Sept. 2 at a funeral in the Hispin community on the Golan Heights. Shalev hailed from the neighboring community of Alonei HaBashan, less than a kilometer from the Syrian border.
Echoes of nearby explosions could be heard in the area, resonating from the battles between the Syrian army and the rebels opposing the government. The Israel Defense Forces occasionally blocked roads and redirected traffic onto alternative routes, worried that the gun or mortar fire might spillover. Residents from the northern Golan Heights who made their way to the funeral were constantly updated about the dynamic, constantly changing map of blocked roads. They have been watching as their quiet, pastoral lives undergo an abrupt change.