Ben-Atar, Neil

Neil, son of Perl and Rachamim Son of-Atar, was born in 1966 in Salisbury, Rhodesia. When Neil was four, his father died after a long illness. In 1976, when Neil was nine years old, he immigrated to Israel with his family, directly to Kibbutz Kfar Hanassi in the Upper Galilee. Neil, a redheaded boy with freckles and smiles, had a unique sense of humor, and was a favorite of his friends. Neil was drafted into the IDF in November 1985. His sister, Belinda, pleaded with him to serve in the navy, but he chose the paratroopers. On the 9th of Sivan 5746 (June 16, 1986), Neil fell in the line of duty, traveling with his friends from the Orev Company on the Ma’ale Ephraim road to the Jordan Valley. The truck overturned and fell to an abyss of about 15 meters, killing three soldiers, among them Neil. He was 19 years old when he fell. Neil was laid to rest in the military section of the Kfar Hanassi cemetery.