Bashari, Avshalom (Avi)

Son of Leah and lover. Born on 25 November 1968 in Mitzpeh Ramon, his parents immigrated from Yemen in Operation Magic Carpet (1949) and later settled in Mitzpeh Ramon, where their second son, Avshalom, was born. When he was two years old, the family moved to Moshav Kfar Zeitim in the Lower Galilee, where Avshalom studied at the local kindergarten, and at the age of seven he moved to the religious state school at Kibbutz Lavi and at the end of the sixth grade he moved to a boarding school in Kfar Hasidim, Avshalom was a strong, but gentle and introverted boy who excelled in his curiosity and quick perception. At the boarding school he was an active member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, and he liked to travel on foot, to know the flora and fauna, and during his spare time he read about military and security matters. He had served, like his father and brother Dotan, in the Paratroopers Brigade, and in 12th grade he joined the command line of moshavim and youth villages, which were meant to serve as paratroopers. In August 1987, he enlisted in the IDF, and as planned he underwent paratrooper training, culminating in a 90-kilometer beret. He was later sent to a sniper course and moved to a company stationed on the northern border. On the 16th of Shevat 5748 (February 4, 1988) Avshalom fell in battle. On a rainy, misty winter day, Avshalom and his unit went on patrol along the border. Between Yiftach and Manara, the patrol encountered a squad of terrorists who managed to sneak into a breach in the security fence a short time earlier. The patrol quickly discovered the infiltration and a fire broke out with the terrorists. In the exchange of fire, Avshalom was injured in the head and died of his wounds in defending the northern communities. Together with him fell his friend Elazar Shefer. Avshalom was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Tiberias. Survived by his parents and four brothers – Dotan, Lior, Yaron and Noam. In a letter of condolence to the family, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin wrote: “Private Avshalom Bashari gave his life for his homeland … Even when he was a pupil, it was clear that he would be a paratrooper … because his brother served in the unit and his father served in the paratroopers. , And he did his duty to the satisfaction of his commanders, always helped and stood out professionally. ” The commander of his unit wrote to the parents: “Your son Avshalom fell in battle with terrorists who tried to penetrate the northern border of the State of Israel … As a rooted and fighting family, you educated Avshalom for the love of the land, for the love of the homeland and for the conquest of man … Avshalom went the way he was brought up and raised … We are proud of the privilege that we had in being comrades-in-arms. “