Shai, son of Chava and Shabtai, was born on 14.1.1950 in Kibbutz Gat and studied at the kibbutz educational institution. As a child, his mother died and Gisa, his stepmother of the future, took care of him. Shay was a Giza not only if but also a friend, and Giza was a source of happiness. Shai was a talented painter and sculptor and a born actor. “Sometimes,” his friends say, “when the wind was upon him, he would improvise pantomime and we would sit there fascinated.” Shai was very active in various areas of the agriculture. He hated idleness, or, as he put it, “the preoccupation with nothing, with empty actions.” Whatever he did, he did with pleasure and ease, his friends say: “Shai was a guy with no limitations, no weaknesses, you could almost say – perfect, or as we called him – Superman.” He had an extraordinary capacity for organization, and every matter that came into his hands dealt with it to the end. Shai hated doing half-things. In fact, Shai was one of the pillars of the group, but it was not always possible to point out, “Shai is the leader.” He was quiet, introverted, and avoided any prominence. It contained qualities of integrity, diligence, intelligence, modesty, and yet-a great deal of mischief. He had a thin, quiet sense of humor – the kind of humor that only tastes good. Shai was a thoughtful guy, that is to say, his head was always preoccupied with contemplative observation – never restless and always subject to thinking and creative development. Shai was drafted into the IDF in mid-November 1968, and as a clear-cut challenger he decided that if he needed to be a soldier, he should be a pilot. “Shai’s pilot documents are repeated with the warm assessments of his commanders:” Excellent officer. effective. Energetic and entrepreneurial. Has leadership skills. Excellent pilot. Promising potential to be promoted at the command level. “His squadmates also praise and praise him, both as a person and as a pilot and as a commander.” At Shai, every order was perfect, it took only three minutes to prepare it. Shai was a regular student with us. When it was necessary to determine who would be the outstanding trainee, there were no doubts. It was clear that Shai would win the title. He had peace of mind and self-confidence, leadership ability and uncompromising friendship. Shai, with his tall body and eyes with his arrested smile, was a figure of admiration. His adherence to tasks and values was above and beyond what is acceptable to us. During his service, Shai (Avital, his friends in the company) kept him in touch with the house – with Giza, with his beloved father, who later died of a fatal illness, and with Hannah. And the man who filled Shai’s life, as Giza says: “From the moment Hannah entered our house, I knew she would be a permanent guest. Shai and Shai have formed warm ties of love and friendship that are not common to each couple. “Shai’s special attitude to Hannah Shalev is evidenced by his numerous letters, which also point to Shai’s ability and talent:” Girl, I’m already flying to you and not so traveling, “Shai loved the life of the kibbutz and wanted to return to the agriculture as soon as he finished his service and tried to influence him – the wing commander, And the commander of another wing, all of them tried to convince him to stay in the air force as a career soldier and to contribute to the corps what he could contribute. He had long-term plans for developing branches in his kibbutz, and especially – for the spiritual contribution he hadHe gave society around him. But all these plans were interrupted by Ivan. When the Yom Kippur War broke out Shai sat at his base. On the morning of Sunday, October 7, 1973, Shay went on a mission, leading a pair of planes to attack a convoy in the canal area. Once there, a missile hit his plane, the plane crashed in the air, and Shai fell. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in his kibbutz – Gat. He was survived by a stepmother and a sister. In a condolence letter sent to the family, his commander wrote: “Shai was a good pilot and an excellent officer. His death is a great loss for us all.” In memory of Shai Avital, Kibbutz Gat published a booklet containing the words of friends about his character and fragments of his letters.
