Hundreds at service for slain journalist Steven Sotloff

Letters slain journalist Steven Sotloff wrote to his family before he was beheaded by Islamic State militants (also known as ISIL and ISIS) were read at his memorial service Friday, with him telling them to be happy and stay positive and that if they didn’t meet again, he hoped they would in heaven. Several hundred mourners attended the service at Temple Beth Am in suburban Miami in the U.S. state of Florida. Organizers distributed a sheet of paper with the lyrics to a song Sotloff’s sister, Lauren Sotloff, had chosen — “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd.

Our job is to help them grieve, and that’s what we’re here to do as a family.

Robert Hersh, Temple Beth Am executive director

Sotloff was also an Israeli citizen, a fact that was not widely known before his death — in part because Israel’s military censor apparently kept a lid on the story for his safety. His killers are not believed to have known about his background. IS has beheaded two American journalists it held captive for what the militants called payback for more than 120 U.S. airstrikes on its assets in northern Iraq since Aug. 8.

Sotloff Americas