Barak (Brooks), Benny

Benny, son of Chaya and Abraham, was born on the 25th of Marheshvon 5713 (13.11.1952) in Tel Aviv. He completed his elementary studies at Katznelson High School in Givatayim, then completed his high school studies in the vocational high school in Tel Aviv, in the framework of mechanical frameworks. Benny was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement. He devoted all his energies to the movement and spent time at the movement as much as possible He liked his friends in the nest and the group, loved the meetings and the activities, the walks and the camps, the conversations and the moments of fun. From my activity in the movement, my son learned to love people, to have friendships with them, to make many friends and to enjoy their shared experiences and interests. Because of the importance of the movement in his eyes, he became involved in activities within the framework of the nest and took part in everything that took place there. The journeys brought my son to the landscape and to nature and nurtured the love of the homeland, and the longing for free air and a deep relationship to the soil and vegetation. The visits to the various kibbutzim brought him closer to the kibbutz life and instilled in him the aspiration to a cooperative life of the land. Benny agreed wholeheartedly to the ideology of the movement, and especially to the idea of fulfillment, and at the beginning of his career, he knew with certainty that he would end up fulfilling and completing the kibbutz. When he was a student in the seventh grade, his target group was set up – Nir Eliyahu. From then on, for two years before his enlistment in the IDF, Benny spent every spare moment in the target market, knew him and his friends and prepared himself for the army. Social and ideological fulfillment perfectly matched Benny’s approach to life and the choice of his way to the future. For most of his years in Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, he was a mentor and tried to impart to his students the values of the movement and to teach them the way of life. Benny was drafted into the IDF in mid-November 1971 and assigned to the Nahal Brigade. After a few months, he joined the Paratroopers Brigade of the Nahal Brigade, where he served as a paratrooper and machine gunner. During the Yom Kippur War, Benny participated in the battles against the Syrians in the Golan Heights. In the battle that took place on the 11th of Tishrei 5740 (October 7, 1973), Benny was hit and killed. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. Survived by his parents and brother. After his fall, he was promoted to corporal. Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu, the kibbutz of his group, commemorated his memory in a corner of the playground, which serves as a memorial to the fallen in Nir Eliahu.