Amster, Eliyahu

Eliyahu, son of Rachel and Emil, was born on the 11th of Sivan 5709 (8.6.1949) in Mizra, in the Jezreel Valley. He studied at the kibbutz, in elementary school and in high school. After completing his studies he went to study at the Givat Haviva Seminar on Orientalism. He was an outstanding student, capable of expression, and a strong desire to know things and to get to the bottom of them. His teacher says, that there was something special about him. He was a student every teacher wished for, awake, intellectually sharp, critical. He was diligent, serious, and talented; He was endowed with culture and gentleness and would conduct his discussions calmly, without the urge of winning. He was active in many areas, taught youth at the local educational institution, participated in the choir of the kibbutz and played the trombone in the orchestra. Elijah was a “friend that was a brother,” a man who knows how to feel what oppresses him and what bothers him. He had a tough character, but he had a natural leadership ability, which proved to be obvious, in every society. He was very sensitive, especially with questions of morality and justice, but as if he were ashamed of his feelings and wanted to hide them. Elijah tried to sense the taste of life outside the borders of the kibbutz. He traveled for three months to explore Europe, “to know the world,” and in his letters he expressed great admiration for what he saw. Eliahu was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in early May 1968. After completing basic training, he was offered the opportunity to work in a field that he likes – Orientalism since he was fluent in the Arabic language and dealt extensively with the question of Arab-Israeli relations. He rejected the offer and volunteered to serve in the commando unit. He took a parachuting course, a scouts course with an excellent grade of 91), in a course for reconnaissance officers, and on top all of these in an arduous commando course, during the War of Attrition, he took part in the head of one of the forces that raided the Channel deep into enemy territory. In the letter of appreciation, he received upon his discharge from the regular service, written that he had been a good and intelligent officer, entrepreneur, diligent, energetic and resourceful, who invested his best forces in the work and performed his duties with dedication and success. In the Yom Kippur War, Eliyahu was drafted and sent to the Sinai front. He was attached to one of the units that had been organized during the war and was assigned to set up a regimental patrol unit. On the afternoon of the 16th of Tishrei 5740 (October 12, 1973), while helping to evacuate casualties, he was hit and killed in an air attack on the battalion clinic on the “Mars” axis. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery at Kibbutz Mizra. Survived by father, mother, brother and sister. His commander testified that he was an excellent officer, a man of stature, who acted courageously and trusted his surroundings.