Hagaon Harav Azriel Auerbach Recommends ‘Hy’d’ Inscription for Bochur Killed at Anti-Draft Protest

On Sunday morning, Hagaon Harav Azriel Auerbach shlita, the leader of the Peleg Yerushalmi and the Bnei Torah movement, paid a shiva call to the Eisenthal home in Yerushalayim’s Ramot neighborhood. The family is currently sitting shiva following the tragic death of their son, Chaim Yosef Eisenthal z”l, who was struck by a vehicle and killed during a recent demonstration against the draft law in Yerushalayim.

The Rav spent a long time offering words of strength and blessings to the father, Rav Shmuel Eisenthal shlita, who serves as a Ra”m in Yeshivas Ohel Torah-Ponevezh and is a prominent figure in the Ramot community. Also present during the visit was boy’s grandfather, Rav Uriel Eisenthal shlita, the Rav of Ramot Gimmel and a close confidant of Rav Auerbach.

During the visit, a discussion arose regarding the appropriate text to be inscribed on the matzeiva, given the tragic circumstances of Chaim Yosef’s petirah. Rav Auerbach expressed the opinion that the acronym “Hy’d” (Hashem yinkom damo) should be used, signifying that he died al Kiddush Hashem. Rav Uriel Eisenthal noted that he was familiar with the halakhic reasoning regarding this title, and indicated that a final decision on the inscription would be made shortly.

Notably, “Hy’d” had already appeared on the mourning notices posted on wall plaques throughout the Ramot neighborhood announcing his petirah.