Rodrigo Rosetsky, who lost his wife and infant son in a traffic accident, has died on Saturday after being critically injured more than a week prior when a truck rear-ended their car and destroyed the young family.
The couple’s 2-year-old daughter Ruthie is the only survivor of the crash that occurred on Route 7 in southern Israel on July 11. Rostesky’s wife Sophie, 28, and 2-month-old Itai, died at the scene.
Rostesky, 35, was an officer in the Israeli Air Force. Sophie, originally from Texas, was buried with her son Itai last week while Rodrigo’s funeral was held on Sunday.
Rodrigo was buried in a military and Messianic ceremony with hundreds of people in attendance including Air Force Major General Amikam Norkin. Rodrigo’s father Mario opened the ceremony with the reciting of the Kaddish. He burst into tears while eulogizing his son.
“Four years ago, my father passed away, and after the funeral I received a hug from Carmen and said we were next in line. But we were wrong,” he said. “God took Sophie, Itai and Rodrigo.”
“Rodrigo was our special son. It seems they are so good today that God took three angels to him,” Mario continued. “Rodrigo, we will keep Ruthie, your baby, there is no doubt that you are playing with Little Itai in the Garden of Eden.”
Mario also thanked Sophie’s family who arrived from America to bury their daughter last week.
“Last Friday our heart was here with you, today you are with us here,” he said. “Thank you for being with us at such a difficult moment.”
Rodrigo’s sister Michal talked about Rodrigo’s love for planes and said during her eulogy the family was “not angry for you choosing to be with your beloved Sophie. Thank you for giving us Ruthie.”
Marco, Rodrigo’s younger brother, praised his brother for giving life to others by donating his organs.
“Yesterday you gave life to four people, maybe some father who could go home to the children, I take your beret from you and intend to carry it on my shoulders so that it will remind me of you, my dear brother,” he said.
An Air Force commander, Lt.-Col. Amir Shalom, called Rodrigo, “a commander, a friend, a brother.”
“You were a strong supporter of the family, you worried about many before you took care of yourself,” Shalom added. Then he addressed Ruthie: “Little Ruthie, the Air Force family is bowing its head. We’ll take care of you always.”
Another soldier, Sunny Mazuz, lauded Rosetsky for prioritizing and valuing his family, “a house that has been tragically cut off.”
Rodrigo was sedated in a coma for more than a week before succumbing to his extensive injuries.
“The injured man was brought from Kaplan Medical Center to Beilinson with a critical head injury,” a hospital spokesperson said on Saturday. “During the week, he underwent a number of operations. Over the last few days his situation deteriorated significantly and unfortunately, despite the efforts of the staff in the neurosurgical department, he passed away this morning.”
The driver of the truck, Yossi Cohen, 32, is under house arrest pending an investigation. Police said Cohen was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. During an interrogation Cohen said he bent down to retrieve a cigarette he dropped and lost control of the vehicle.
Hebrew media has covered this story extensively. One media outlet even respectfully used the proper translation of Jesus as Yeshua, in all of its articles about the incident. Most Israeli use the epithet Yeshu, which was a rabbincally-derived abbreviation for the Hebrew translation is, “May his name and memory be blotted out.”
Several people have expressed interest in helping the orphaned daughter Ruthie and the family members who will be caring for her. One such page that KNI found is here but we are waiting for official word from the family as to the best way to help.