IDF soldiers have found a Book of Psalms with a personal dedication to an Israeli man from nearly four decades ago in the home of a Palestinian terrorist in the Gaza Strip.
The book, which was uncovered during a house search in Jabalia, had a Hebrew note inside its cover directed to Shmuel Goldring and dated 1986.
“In recognition and appreciation, please accept our expression of thanks. May it be G-d’s will that He willingly accept our prayers, amen. In friendship, Oz Sender,” the dedication reads.
It was not immediately clear how the Hebrew-language holy book ended up in Gaza.
In a video post, the soldier who found the Book of Psalms said he took it with him, hoping to find its owner.
The Hebrew website Behadrey Haredim reported that it had identified the man who wrote the dedication, who purchased it and additional copies from Bloom Publishing and distributed them across Israel. His family members also identified their father’s handwriting.
“We were moved today to receive regards from our father, of blessed memory, after 20 years—and even more than that, from Gaza,” Sender’s son Shimon Spiegel said. “I remember my father distributing the Psalms everywhere.”
The family is searching for the recipient of the book.