Ben Yehuda Halevi and Esther. He was born on Saturday, 4.7.1987, in Moshav Carmel, in the southern Hebron Hills, a charming, curly child with a captivating smile, like all the children in the moshav was very independent, he wandered freely outside the house and went alone to his favorite places. When he disappeared for a long time, we knew he could be found in the neighbor’s house – playing in cars … When the family moved to Kiryat Arba, when he was two years old, he thought he could also walk around alone, get out of the house and get lost. For many hours he was busy with complex models, and it was evident that the perfect model he had imagined before the construction, and the construction was the execution of early planning. He spent a lot of time in his home and library and read, during the high school years and later, when he did not go for a walk, He read books of various kinds – history books, science, science fiction, army, general literature, and books of philosophy of various streams in the Jewish people. It was evident that it was important for him to know the world around him through the Scriptures and to develop his world view independently. Ahikam loved to deal with the computer, and not necessarily as a pawn. In seventh grade, he bought large-scale programming books from his own pocket and learned alone programming and computer languages. He demanded that his Bar Mitzvah sermon be accompanied by a presentation of his work, which was new at the time. In the past two years, he has been wandering the Google Earth site, getting to know the world at large, its appearance, and beautiful and special places. Every place he saw was etched in his memory to such an extent that he was able to identify changes that occurred in certain places in the area following military action … At the beginning of his diary, Ahikam wrote two sentences: “The world is like a book. Ze’ev Vilnai – “You shall know the land with your feet.” Ahikam added the word “and you will love” and wrote: “In the sweat of your foot you shall know (and love) the land.” Ahikam lived these sentences. For him – the trip = life! Anyone who does not travel in Israel, as if he is not alive! With a red backpack on her back, took advantage of all her free time to travel in Israel. Walked many miles to see a beautiful scenic spot or to find a small spring marked on the map. There seemed to be no mountain or stream in the country where he had never set foot. As the head of the Mekor Chaim Yeshiva, where Ahikam learned, just as Adam does “end of the tractate”, Ahikam had a desire to “finish the map.” The friends and family knew that it was always possible to consult Achikam about his trip, Height of the falls, etc. There was a similarity between Ahikam and nature – power and quiet! As the recruitment time approached, it was decided to delete a low profile due to illness. He tried to raise his profile to serve in a place where he could contribute his maximum talents. In the meantime he took advantage of the time and worked at the Cave Research Center at the Hebrew University, headed by Prof. Amos Frumkin. The professor told him: “Ahikam’s curiosity was insatiable, he crawled through caves that Adam did not set up and was part of one of the most important discoveries in recent geological and hydrological research … Ahikam was one of the most important explorers and cameramen of caves in Israel. And he came to the office, sat in front of the computer and finished processing data … despite his age, he offered to go to the office,Jer worked like a skilled researcher, using a method of self-employment. He ran himself! He studied many sites and worked with us in three countries – Israel, Jordan and Bulgaria – “cave explorers based their mappings on their works. . “Ahikam Cave” – opened after his fall, when his friends counted on him: how much he could listen, advise, encourage, express thoughts on different subjects, accept the different from him and respect them. Tell him how much he knew how to help, to show respect, to take care of others, to give, to take responsibility … When Ahikam was drafted into the army, he was appointed, to his dismay, in a unit that did not fit his skills. After a stubborn struggle, he was accepted into the Israel Air Force and served in the “Shaldag”. Here he dealt in a unique field and was highly regarded by his commanders and friends. The “cave bacteriologist” did not leave Ahikam after enlisting in the army. He was happy that now, armed with personal weapons, he would be able to reach places he had not been able to reach before. One of these places was the Umm Safa Cave – a cave located on the side of the mountain in Wadi Zarka – Amzebim, near Hebron, which served as the Bar Kokhba’s fighters during the Great Revolt, and is the third largest cave in the country. Unable to map her before the draft, he wanted at least to see her. On the eve of Shabbat Kodesh, Parshat Shemot, 28 Dec 2007, Ahikam, David Rubin and Naama Ohayon went for a walk in the stream. A beautiful river, full of springs, at the end of which lies the cave. In the middle of the road a vehicle came in front of them. Aikim and David waved to him, and suddenly a fire was fired from the car. Ahikam and David returned fire, and before they fell, they managed to kill one of the terrorists and injure another. When they returned fire they saved Na’ama, who managed to escape and hide. Ahikam was loved by all his acquaintances, who were able to cherish him even though he was quiet and a little talkative. He went with his truth and not a costume to please me. Ahikam was himself! He’d never done anything to make him like him, never said anything to be laughed at, never told anything to get excited about him, never ran over something to make him think. What had to be done was done! When he had something to say – he said! Ahikam was very modest, simple and content with little. Ahikam was about twenty years old when he fell. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Survived by his parents, four brothers and five sisters: Avraham-Yitzhak, Yeshurun-Yaakov, Dvora, Uriah-Ruth, Eliahu-David, Reut, Miriam-Efrat, Yigal and Morasha. After his fall, Ahikam was promoted to the rank of corporal. Of blessed memory.
