Ten former students of Himmelfarb High School have lost their lives, leaving a deep scar on the close-knit school community. Among them was Yuval Shoham, remembered by his father, Professor Efi Shoham of Ben-Gurion University, as a strong, energetic young man who excelled both on the basketball court and in intellectual pursuits.

Yuval was described as curious, opinionated and deeply committed to truth. He had planned to study the humanities, weighing psychology and law as possible fields, and was known for his thoughtful and principled character. His father said the loss is not only a profound personal tragedy for their family, but also a loss to the world of scholarship and ideas that Yuval hoped to one day shape.