Son of Heftziba and Nissim, Ariel was born in the town of Bnei Brak on July 3, 1976. He studied in the religious elementary school Elkana, continued to the “Nativ Meir” High School in Jerusalem and At the beginning of August 1996, Ariel enlisted in the IDF. After completing his training course in November 1996, he began training and advanced training, and a year later he moved to the “Paratroopers’ Paratrooper” to continue his training as a combat soldier. Was stationed with his unit in the security zone in southern Lebanon, and Ariel completed his training course in infantry officers at Bahad 1, where he stood out for his diligence and great investment, and served as a platoon commander in the Nachshon Battalion, As commander of the unit, Ariel faced heavy challenges: First, the establishment of the battalion and the positioning of the battalion targets. Second, dealing with a very diverse population that was characterized, in part, by the problems of SOS Ariel dealt with these problems with great sensitivity and was able to combine his skills as a “tough” officer who is careful not to cross borders and maintain a framework with his human abilities: The soldiers tried to give them a warm home atmosphere, took an interest in their private lives, made house visits and maintained contact with their families. When their training period ended, a year and two months later, Ariel felt the need to move on to the next challenge and decided that he would like to contribute to the officers of the future, and to instill in them their knowledge and values. In the future, Ariel imbued the officers with the recognition of the importance of their role in the social system beyond the military framework, and emphasized that as commanders, the key word is “after” As usual, Ariel did not stop talking, but led the cadets to implement the ideals and on Friday, before going home, they spent a few more hours volunteering at Beit Cohen in Be’er Sheva – a center for children with disabilities. With all the contents required for a platoon commander in the army. “The book for platoon commander” leaves his mark in the officers’ school to this very day, and at the end of the course Ariel went on a four month vacation to prepare for his marriage with Na’ama, his choice of heart and spiritual preparations for the wedding. The couple moved to the settlement of Eli three months later, when Ariel returned to the army, this time as deputy company commander in the company’s 890 battalion in August 2000. Most of the time the company made Rachel’s grave, where Ariel found a strong emotional connection. In the Holy Land I usually visit Rachel’s Tomb. This is a habit I’ve been trying to keep up for years. I got to know Ariel from the last visits there. He always took care of us and arranged for us all the security escort to the compound. And there, in the grave itself, which now seems like a closed fortress, it was he who always opened the door with a wide smile and brought us inside, to Rachel’s grave. What I remember best and remember, Ariel, is his vitality in poetry that touches the soul. He would stand with us and sing the songs excitedly and cryfully, and would dance with us with joyful melodies. His joy was real joy and he always asked for “maybe another song.” Ariel was the example of a living man, he was a Jew full of joy and emotion. “Ariel also volunteered to transfer his soldiers and commanders and provided valuable content for operational activity. Towards the end of the route, the company was led by the company commander and his deputy, Ariel, to participate in the first entrance to Bethlehem, and performed the complex fighting with heroism and excellence. The story of the throne of the covenant on which the godfather sat and held the baby illustrates, even if only slightly, Ariel’s devotion to matters of holiness: During the difficult events at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, a few hours before the army abandoned the compound, the soldiers managed to save a number of items, “- a chair on which alliances were made, and Ariel made every effort to unify the covenant of his eldest son A chair from the grave of his son, Joseph, to his mother’s grave, Rachel, and went on to the company commanders’ course to return to Battalion 890 and command the company of March 2002, a company of recruits in the regular Paratroopers Brigade. During the course, Ariel worked on the construction of the company’s command staff, as usual, looking for professional and responsible commanders, but also with a desire to help soldiers wherever they were, who was carefully selected – from officers to the last drivers – but Ariel did not reap the fruits of his labor. Captain Ariel Hovav fell in a battle in the Binyamin region on March 3, 2002 at the Wadi Hermiya checkpoint in Samaria. That morning he went out of his house to attend the first staff meeting he had planned in Nebi Musa – the paratroopers’ training base – where he would have assigned the staff of his new company. On his way there, at the British police intersection, between Ali and Ofra, he was caught in a terrorist attack on an IDF checkpoint, located in a steep wadi and the terrorist, a Fatah Tanzim member armed with a rifle, positioned on a hill west of the checkpoint, The soldiers. He managed to shoot 25 bullets while changing positions and sniping at soldiers at the checkpoint, and military and civilian vehicles. Ariel, who arrived at the scene, rushed to act according to the way in which he was educated and educated his soldiers: He got out of his vehicle and charged at the shooting site, but a single bullet hit him. Together with Ariel, six reserve soldiers and three civilians were killed: Lieutenant David Damelin, Sergeant Major Kfir Weiss, Sergeant Avi Ezra, Sergeant Major Yochai Porat, Sergeant Rafael Levi, Sergeant Eran Gad, Sergey Butrov, Vadim Balagula and Yitzhak Didi. Another six people were injured in the attack. The deputy commander of the reserve battalion and the deputy commander of the Ramallah Brigade who came to the scene fired at the terrorist and hit him, but he managed to escape. He was captured in his village of Silwad in October 2004. Ariel was twenty-five years old when he fell. He was laid to rest in the military section of the cemetery in Elkana. Survived by Raya, a three-month-old toddler, parents, two brothers – Uzi and Hananel and sister – Sufiya. After his death, his daughter Neria was born. Ariel’s commander eulogized him: “I saw you fighting hard under fire, you always gave yourself, but the reality hit us, we paratroopers will continue to march forward.” Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Shaul Mofaz wrote to the family: “Ariel served as a company commander in the paratroopers and combat unit of the” Shafifon “brigade in the” Fire “squadron of the Central Command. Ariel was very fond of the Land of Israel and was motivated to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, a service that he saw as a national mission, and his impressive ability to lead and lead his soldiers and the values he believed in led to the appreciation of his commanders. One of the pillars of the unit.Marcel Gens, head of the Elkana Council, described Ariel: “A Zionist-religious young man with deep roots, pioneering, who contributed greatly to the state and wanted to contribute more to the Jewish people. He volunteered all the time, not looking for the easy things. Ariel was full of life, vision and imagination, which swept all the youth in the village of Elkana. “His family entered a Torah scroll in his name for the Bnei Akiva branch in Elkana, in the presence of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbis, public figures and IDF representatives. The “Avi” (Together Together) Association for Israel “together with the Midrasha in Oranim and Tzav Pius initiated the” Meet for Israel “project – an experiential journey of remembrance, renewal and dialogue in the landscapes of Israel and the deep questions of Israeli society. On March 22, 2006, a tour was conducted in the Valley of the Ella region, where Ariel was commemorated on the Paratroopers’ website at http://www.zanhanim.org.il/Info/n_show.aspx?Id=39141. On the album site Pictures of Ariel, a description of the shooting attack at the checkpoint and a link to the story of each of the fallen, newspaper clippings about Ariel, as well as investigative reports published about the grave attack. The “Har Etzion” Yeshiva in Alon Shvut dedicated one of the articles of the week, written by Gideon Shaviv, to the memory of Ariel, and appears on the Internet at http://www.etzion.org. Rabbi Avichai Katsik devoted one of his lessons to Ariel, who was his student, whom he described as “an example of a combination of Talmud and practice.” The shiur, “Moshe to the Talmud and Bezalel in fact,” appears on the website of Reshit – Community Beit Midrash in Ra’anana, at: http://reshit.org.il/reshit/lessons/ps63/ps22Vayaqhel.doc. “Three years ago, a new group,” Acharei! “Was opened in Kedma, when I started to plan the spirit we want,” wrote Shahar Rubenstein of the Aharai Youth Leading Change organization, which nurtures young leadership and develops social involvement among youth from neighborhoods, development towns and boarding schools. I understood that the spirit I want to convey is the spirit of Ariel, and it was clear to me that this group will be in the spirit and memory of Ariel, and it has been three years since I ran with the youth, most of whom They would not be drafted into military service at all, and today they are already fighting in the various units of the IDF. In every re-training, I feel that particular breath; This happens mainly after a long run or a grueling stretcher journey. Suddenly I feel that special feeling. It is not a single memory or a clear picture but a shudder in which I feel that Ariel is there, that his spirit is blowing, present within me, in the words that come out of my mouth when I call “Follow me!” The stories about Ariel pass among the youth and sometimes someone else appears from a map or from there who knew his character and asks about the closeness to you. But more than the stories pass, the spirit of Ariel continues to blow, echoing in the same ways as the feet, in those hills where we come up with the stretchers, a spirit that permeates the values to which they have been educated, to which they live until their last days. This spirit will continue to lead, with pride, courage, faith. In the days when we, as a people, face enormous challenges, with the rift deepening deeper and deeper within us, we feel that Ariel’s spirit is becoming more and more meaningful. And as the difficulties intensify, his spirit intensifies within us. The righteousness of the way and the faith in it, the importance of mission and adherence to it, in order to be worthy of this land. That’s how I feel when I amRunning with you, when I feel your spirit blowing at the back of my neck, not letting go, pushing forward to the next destination. When I hear that the words that come out of my mouth are your words, I am convinced that your spirit continues to blow and continue for future generations. We are in the “Follow me!” We will continue to embrace and support the Hovav family as much as we can, and we will ensure that the spirit of Ariel continues to blow in the hills, in the wadis, under the stretchers, for future generations. “On the fourth anniversary of the fall of Ariel, A memorial tree was planted in Forest 28 – the forest of commemoration and personal and national memory.
