Ben-Abo, Ilan

Ilan, son of Denise and Yitzhak, was born on June 4, 1953 in Rabat, Morocco, and in 1963 immigrated to Israel with his family. In Morocco, Ilan, or Alan, was taught by his parents in the Talmud Torah kindergarten and the Talmud Torah school. He was an outstanding student, and several times he received certificates of appreciation from his teachers. He was also the lead actor in the drama department at his school. In Moshav Rekhasim, where the family lived after immigrating to Israel, Ilan studied at the Zevuloni elementary school and completed his high school studies at the “Sammat” vocational school, which was named “Yehiel” by his friends in Israel. He was an outstanding student in all subjects And his teachers encouraged him, who would later continue his studies at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he was a very sociable member of the HaNoar HaOved movement and was an instructor in the technical club at Kfar Hasidim. Ilan was drafted into the IDF in early May 1973 and completed basic training as an outstanding trainee. Ilan was then assigned to the Ordnance Corps, where he served as a tank mechanic in one of the IAF units. During the Yom Kippur War, Ilan participated with his unit in battles against the Egyptians on the Sinai front. On October 25, 1973, at the entrance to the city of Suez, Ilan’s truck was hit and burned, and he was killed. He was brought to rest in the cemetery in Be’er Sheva. Survived by his parents, three brothers and two sisters. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “Ilan was an outstanding soldier, disciplined, and an excellent professional, and as a member of the Armored Corps he joined the fighting force and assisted tankers under fire.”