Baruch, Rafael-Rafi

Ben Jenny and Chaim. Born on 28 August 1965 in Holon, he studied at the Zalman Aran Elementary School in the Kiryat Sharet neighborhood, and completed his studies at the Pinhas Ayalon High School in Holon. Raphi was a diligent student, quiet and disciplined. His teacher, Leah Shaviv, describes him as follows: “His diligence and consistency were known among the students, and he was usually quiet in class, but when asked, he always knew the right solution. “During the entire class, he looked at me quietly with an encouraging smile, and I was accompanied by the feeling that there is a student who takes my position as a teacher very seriously and is very attentive to everything that is said.” She adds: “Rafi was a loyal friend and surrounded by friends, he had a responsible and relevant attitude to every person and to every subject, and he stood out for his modesty and quiet manner.” Rafi was twelve years old when Prime Minister Menachem Begin met Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. He showed special interest in the peace process and the value of a notebook dedicated to the subject of peace with Egypt, which has been preserved to this day. He loved the country and loved to read and listen to music. Raphi was thoughtful and serious in his approach to life. This was revealed in his attitude towards his studies, friends, and family. He was a loyal and devoted son to his parents, as his teacher wrote: “It was important for him to see them satisfied and satisfied.” He took responsibility for caring for his younger sister, who was particularly attached to him. At the beginning of February 1984, Rafi was drafted into the IDF and was sent to the Artillery Corps, where he served for about a year in Lebanon and after completing a professional course and a commanders’ course. He went there a long way before he reached the position of corporal, and Rafi was very fond of his subordinates, and they called him ‘the smiling Raful,’ and so they wrote to him at the end of a recruits’ course in which he served as a platoon sergeant: “We have no words to thank you for the wonderful command, To each soldier separately and to the smile that held us in this basic training. “During his service he received a personal letter from a chief artillery officer, in appreciation of the exemplary organization of the basic training ceremony. Once again he was found to have a serious approach to his academic work and spent his free time working He was called for periods of reserve service, during which he was appointed, for his excellence and despite his youth, to the position of battery commander. On 13.6.1989, when he was in reserve duty in Halhul, Rafi fell in the line of duty and was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Holon, leaving behind his parents, brother and sister Jackie and Maya. After the fall, the unit commander said: “Rafi, you joined us three years ago as a team commander. A young man in a battery of old adults. Thin and quiet, always smiling, one who does not want to disturb. But what power. “In a short time we discovered his good qualities: very high motivation, responsibility to the last detail, and a willingness to contribute to the battery.” Rafi’s parents, who are now twice as old as their age, said he was “crazy” after this charming child. Published a book in memory of him, and a Torah library in his name was donated to the Geulat Yisrael synagogue in Holon.