Ariel, son of Tova and Aviv, a member of the Givati Brigade during the War of Independence, was born on 28.6.1949 in Rehovot, Ariel was drafted into the IDF in August 1967 and volunteered for the Armored Corps reconnaissance course, during a course for reconnaissance patrols, a course for infantry officers, a paratroopers course, a course for intelligence officers, a course for tour officers and a course for commanders of companies in the Armored Corps. During one of the daring IDF operations during the War of Attrition, when an armored corps crossed the Red Sea into Egypt. After he was discharged from regular service, Ariel began preparing for studies at the Technion, but due to his father’s sudden demise, he was forced to postpone his studies. Ariel took on the role of head of the family, in the spirit of his father, Colonel Aviv Barzilai, who greatly influenced his approach to life and the family. During the two years of his studies, he showed interest and diligence and was considered a talented and promising student. On March 5, 1972, he married his girlfriend, a young man, Irit. Their home, which had a unique atmosphere, was open to friends – friends from the youth and from the army, with whom contact was not severed, and a variety of people who worked or studied with them. In the summer of 1972, Ariel and his wife traveled to Europe. It was Ariel’s first time out of the country, and the wonderful trip left a strong impression on him. Ariel was called for many periods of reserve duty in Sinai and the Golan Heights. Shortly before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, he was appointed commander of an armored reconnaissance company with special functions assigned to it. Ariel was a responsible officer, devoted to his job and taking care of his soldiers. The fair attitude and concern for his subordinates were his primary concern. He devoted time and energy, and a lot of correspondence and conversation with his fellow commanders. In one of his letters he wrote: “Every day we get names out of the radio and we start to do our soul-searching and we only remember numbers and statistics, we think of masses of dead, we think of” bundles “and not” alone “. It seems that I have strong criticism of the people of Israel, who have stopped thinking about their dead in the way they deserve, and the opposite is true: the security situation demands its victims, and we need to know that a situation of war is a condition to be paid for.We were accustomed to treating our killers with a certain equanimity, we would lose our mental balance and this people would be broken. “One of his men testified that he had left the impression of a brave and talented commander who never forgot his responsibility On the 19th of Tishrei 5734 (19.10.1973), Ariel fell in battle in the Serfaum compound, west of the Suez Canal, south of Ismailia, and in the early afternoon armored personnel carriers stormed the fortified area, The battle, when Ariel was standing in the armored personnel carrier’s armored vehicle, hit the vehicle directly and eight crew members fell. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Rehovot. Survived by a wife, mother, brother and sister. After his fall, he was promoted to captain.
