Ben-Ami, Elisha

Son of Refael and Miriam, who were members of Degania Bet. He was born on 20/9/1940 in Kibbutz Degania B. After graduating from elementary school, he studied at the Beit Yerah high school until he completed his studies, and later devoted himself to agriculture. The Six Day War was not called for the flag because of his poor health, but he volunteered for the role of tank commander. When he went to war he said that he was fighting to have his children live in peace the way his father did at the time; (His father fell in the War of Independence in the Battle of Degania Bet). By nature, he did not do much and would do everything quietly, out of confidence and courage. On the 27th of Iyar 5727 (June 6, 1967), in a battle at the Qabatiya junction in the Dotan Valley, his tank was stuck in a ditch and can not be removed from there. But he refused to abandon the tank, took the crew out of it and the machine gun from him, organized his men and continued the attempts to rescue the tank – while continuing to conduct a battle with the enemy and managed to capture some of his soldiers. In spite of the intense fire that fell on him from the enemy tanks, he continued the rescue work (until the tank was fired) until he was hit by enemy fire and fell. He left a wife and a child who had a year to fill him with the fall of the father. He was named after his grandfather (father-father). After half a year he had a daughter named Elisheva, named after him. He was buried in the military cemetery in Afula and was later transferred to eternal rest in the cemetery in Degania Bet. His service was commended in October of that year for the spirit of volunteerism and adherence to the goal. In the collection “Bimkomim” of the Union of Kibbutzim and Kibbutzim in memory of his fallen comrades, things were brought to his attention. A booklet issued by Kibbutz Danya B in “Thirty” was dedicated to his memory and to the memory of Ran Shen. Even in the “Kinneret”, a bi-monthly report of the Regional Council of the Jordan Valley, his memory was raised. In an investigation conducted in 2017, it was emphasized that the late Sergeant Elisha Son of-Ami was awarded the Medal of Honor