Ben Yehuda, Eliel

Son of Esther and Aryeh. He was born on the 14th of Sivan 5742 (14.6.1982) in Kfar Tavor. Aharutam and Gil-Ad. A middle child, who always brought light and love around him. As a member of Kfar Tavor, he studied and was educated in the elementary school and in the “Kaduri” junior high school. He completed his high school studies at the ORT high school in Afula. From the first moment Eliel breathed his first breaths at his home in the village, he was charged with great love for the Land of Israel and was educated to respect others and to love and give birth to the homeland. From childhood, he heard stories about his uncle, Yossi Eliel, who fell in the battle for Beaufort during the first Lebanon war in 1982. Afterward, Led him to follow the path he chose in his military service – the Golani reconnaissance unit. Throughout his childhood and youth, Eliel was active in everything that was revealed and hidden from view. He organized trips for the council’s children. On Saturdays he went on bike trips with Gil-Ad and his friends. He practiced sports and was a member of the village soccer team. Everywhere you looked, you saw Eliel – an assistant, funny, interested … In the middle of November 2000, Eliel enlisted in the IDF and moved to the Golani reconnaissance unit, immediately after completing the course. He wanted to be an officer in one of the battalions of the Golani Brigade, where he claimed that the difficult and important work of an officer was done to shape the soldier and turn him into a loyal soldier and citizen and contribute to the society around him. After serving for some time in this role, he was asked to move on and serve as a team commander at the Golani Brigade Eliel loved his role in the army, saw him as a mission and tried with all his might to instill in his soldiers the values ​​of patriotism in which he believed, despite his significant service and the desire of his commanders to continue in the army. One big one – to fly on a big trip to South America … In June 2005 he packed a small bag, said hello to everyone and promised that he would be back within a few months after collecting some wonderful experiences on the way … To Bolivia he loved especially for her virgin beauty, green mountains and blue lagoons, he returned at the end of the trip. He spent most of the trip with his teammate, Matanya. The two became “the name of God” following the enormous distances that were swallowed by the foot, with a large bag on the back. In the city of Ushuaia in southern Argentina, Eliel met Nitzan. Between the two a great love blossomed and they became a couple. He spent the rest of the trip in Bolivia and Peru together and returned to Israel, right into the arms of the family and to his sister’s wedding – Rotem. The Second Lebanon War caught Eliel at the height of a beautiful period. He spent many hours with his family and friends from childhood and the army. He traveled regularly to Israel with Nitzan and waited in anticipation for Rotem’s birth, which announced that she was expecting a daughter. Two weeks after the war broke out, on July 29, 2006, Eliel was called to reserve duty. He was assigned to the Carmeli Brigade in his original position as commander of the reconnaissance department. The base from which they left and returned after all the activities that had taken place in a school in the city of Shlomi, which was almost completely abandoned by its residents, following the many missiles that fell in it. In every phone call and message he sent, he sang coolly, confident of himself and the company, and repeated that “there was nothing to worry about” – he was already coming home. When there was already hope that the war was about to end and that an agreement was reached for a cease-fire with Hezbollah, one anti-tank missile would be alive for a whole life. On Sunday, 19 August 2006, the last day of the Second Lebanon War, Eliel ActionHe did not come back from her. The mission was a routine one, in the area of ​​the village of Aita a-Sha’ab. He and his soldiers were sent to bring supplies to the department that had spent several days in the area. Meanwhile, the sound of an explosion from a nearby hill and the sound of casualties from the Gil division were heard. Eliel and his platoon rushed to the scene of the fall and began evacuating the injured in the direction of the evacuation point of the casualties, which was defined by the company’s deputy commander. While Eliel and the sergeant of the platoon, Sergeant Elad Ram, transferred one of the wounded to the evacuation point, another missile hit the spot where they stood. Eliel and Elad were both killed. In his life and death, Eliel served as a symbol and model for friendship, valor and heroism. His absence, his loss, is felt everywhere and in every person whose life intersected with his own. Eliel was twenty-four years old when he died. He was buried in the cemetery in Kfar Tavor near his uncle, Yossi Eliel. Survived by parents, brother, sister and girlfriend. After his fall he was promoted to captain. His words were engraved on his grave: “There are flowers that endlessly remain in the melody …”. Eliel’s fans have established in his memory a website at http://www.eliel74.com. The site contains his life story, memoirs written by family and friends, photo gallery, videos, press clippings and more. In June 2007, an extreme sports day was held in the spring park in Kfar Tavor. On the 10th of Elul 5767 (10.9.2007), Eliel received a medal from Northern Command’s Gadi Eizenkot, stating: “Eliel Ben-Yehuda acted as the commander of the reconnaissance unit in the company that assisted the Carmeli Battalion in the Second Lebanon War (August 13, 2006), the patrol unit, under the command of the late Eliel, located east of Jabel Abu Tawil in order to defend the forces attacking the houses of villages from which shots were fired. During the exchange of fire between the IDF forces and Hezbollah, an anti-tank missile was fired at one of the positions and as a result several fighters were wounded. Eliel z “l acted at the head of the force to rescue the wounded when they were exposed to the enemy, and a few minutes later another anti-tank missile hit the building where the wounded were evacuated. During the rescue of the wounded, Eliel was killed, and the late Captain (res.) Ben Yehuda Eliel showed a fighting spirit, leadership and courage until his death. “Esther, Eliel’s mother:” I pleaded, Do not send your hand to the boy! And I encrypted it, wrapped it and always kept it. And you, God, have taken me as a sacrifice, a holy and precious sacrifice. You took my beloved son and killed a big part of me. You sent me back the three men who suddenly appear as three angels (without any prior notice), men of bad news. They came to tell me that I did not have a child. The bush burned and I did not eat with the mercy of the “terrible” God. A child I loved so much, and our connection is known to all. Is there a greater sacrifice than giving part of you? Eliel, this is a wonderful name chosen for you by the family three times, where God is, but where is God, where is the justice, Lord of the Universe, if you hear me, you have chosen us from all nations, you who have brought us to the land of choice? Was to live in the shadow of bereavement for 24 years … Did Eliel not carry enough pride in his uncle’s name … Did Eliel not suffer enough tears of pain? And modesty, a loving heart and sensitivity and nobility – is not that enough? The fault is huge and he has no cure … because we are all one human tissue alive and if one of us goes away with us, something dies in us … ‘” “You are so close, almost feel you, almost hear, still remember your voice talking to me, your hand embracing, A little kiss … just does not want to leave you yet, L.He believed that I had the dream and now it was only broken. … This cemetery was often encircled by our walks in the evenings. I wish I could keep you better, this country and this world that need people like you so much and without understanding also kill them too fast. “You were born in the month of Sivan – a month of giving and giving, a month of giving the Torah, a month of holiness and purity, innocence and joy, a sign of the beginning and the beginning. You were killed for defending the homeland you loved so much, in the month of Av. A month of heat and dryness. A month that is half calamity and half happy… The green becomes yellow, dries up and gathers inside. As though he was withering, as if he wanted to rest, as if he wanted to go home, to the ground. A sign of the end … The terrible forces of Lebanon breathed in your birth, and the tops of the cedars of Lebanon bent their stature in your death. You grew up and blossomed, breathed the earth, loved to breathe the air of the peaks, admired the dust grains of our beloved country. You loved life, to try to learn and to experience every possible opportunity. You always sought to give and contribute, to make a transition and to invest, from training in the movement, playing soccer, riding a bicycle and helping with anything with a huge heart and a significant smile. Full of warmth and love. Anywhere and anytime. Your security and joy always glowed at you. Always the light shone from you, the light of giving and love, the light of the earth, the light of this earth on which you gave your strong body and your righteous soul. … the blood of your wounded comrades was poured out by you as you rescued them under fire, your sturdy body protecting them to bring them to the shelter. … Your smile Eliel will remain forever in us, embedded in the sky of fire watching the house, the village, the mountain, the weeping earth that refuses to believe … “Chen Eliel wrote:” What a guy! You were the example, an object of admiration, a model and role model … full of human love, free love, knowledge of the land, giving, doing, exploiting every moment to the end. … You return to the holy land on which you are fighting hard, fighting, promenade, experience, transport … To this land we will return as clinging to a tall tree, slowly descending to the roots. “A good friend, a listening ear, a great man, you have gone forever, my world will forever be engraved in my heart, love you, true love.” And I’m on time. In the past time … / Our memory. You and I are on a lovely cruise at the edge of the world / or conversations in the night in a snowy tent on the roof of the world / The memory of a proud and smiling officer defending the country / state for which he went to war / Memory of three friends climbing mountains / Three years earlier, And the pictures come back. And I’m on time. / If only I could return the time … / Memory of a soldier raiding mountains with R.P.D. / In the basic training of cakes only his mother can bring / memory of a friend ‘my brother’ who will always be by my side / no matter what trouble will bring me fate / memory of a person who loved the land was in his veins / White teeth / no matter what happens, from his point of view the world can wait / remember to go with me to the world / and the pictures come back. And I’m on time. If only I could return the time … “wrote a light:” … I was privileged to learn from you modesty, values, determination and kindness. … You were motivated and nothing seemed to be able to separate you from whatever you set, and it was. … You are the kind of person who was born to lead and there was no doubt that you would become an officer, not just an officer, but a sweeping officer, one who would follow him in fire and water. … wherever I go you will accompany me, and all of us, your teammates.You will be a signpost, a reminder of the people we aspire to be and that you were. “Eyal wrote:” … the crew’s uncle, the one who is much older than us all, as if he has already experienced the route in the past and knows exactly the right proportions for things that happen along the way. … Even in your last moments you were like this: calm, calm and reasonable as someone who knows much more than everyone else seems to think. And the truth is, it just reflects from your face. Eliel, I have nothing but to thank you for everything: about the period together, the experiences, the memories, what I learned from you … Thank you, “wrote Lieberman:” … What made you unique is your smile, a charming pair that was hard to find apart. … just a guy who was so happy and happy … You believed in what you did and you had no doubt about any decision you made, like the fateful decision to get out of the injured force. I’m sure that even if you knew the hard results in advance, you would not change your decision. … you who loved life so much and knew how to make fun of everything, no matter what it was. You were our encyclopedia for the Golani reconnaissance. You knew just everything, knew every step of the way. “I am a tiger, a flying tiger …” Shai Peretz wrote: “… When I think of Eliel, a portrait of his face jumps before my eyes, with the perpetual smile on his lips Characterized him and did not leave his lips. A smile that radiated inner strength even in moments of difficulty and pressure. Alial had the ability to help and give a lot of himself without expecting any change … Another characteristic that characterized Eliel in particular, and was very prominent during the course, was the love of the people and the land that stemmed from connection to the land and from the naive belief that the Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. Eliel was always careful to follow his principles even if it was uncomfortable. These qualities made Eliel a very good soldier, an esteemed commander and, above all, a friend of his own. “Ran Avni wrote:” I have not seen anyone like you yet! Modest, strong athlete, full of self-confidence, sense of justice, joy of life, and maturity no one of your age. Speaks without a trace of condescension with every person as a person. “It’s hard to think of you without the smile that was always on your face, you loved to live and you loved life … You knew how to fill your life in a way From the little things of daily life, from the joys of life and optimism, to the big thoughts about whether it’s in the army or in civilian life. … You loved this country completely … Our history is full of heroes who fought for our right to live in Israel. Many did it because they were in this situation, but you volunteered to be there. … You were a symbol of Jewish heroism long before you fell. Your life has been cut off, but I will take the life you have lived with for the rest of my life. “From the letter of the Commander of the Carmeli Brigade, Col. Ilan Attias:” Exactly a year ago you were in the midst of a military combat mission. In the fighting against terrorists in Judea and Samaria and in the Gaza Strip, with a great deal of combat experience, a leader, a leader and especially a person, but this time it was a little different from what you experienced when you were a commander and an officer in the Golani Brigade. You chose another way to smile, and different because of its scope, strength, and complexity … As commander of the Golani Brigade training base, I was exposed to your name The special one was chosen from among the many elite of the Golani Brigade, a title that you would certainly not like to hear in your first steps as a combat soldier considering a special person.That you saw before your eyes only the other and that you gave yourself without thinking about yourself. Commander – for demonstrating seriousness, professionalism in every task you have taken upon yourself, because you are first in the face of an enemy and because of the trust that your commands have earned you and the faith you have planted in all those around you. A leader – because you swept people you just knew, because your younger soldier from Golani and the old ones from Karmeli feel orphaned when you leave, and because you did everything out of a pure mission of loving the people and the land. … Your act of heroism will be accompanied by generations of warriors. You ran in the head of your soldier in front of the light that was being lit in front of the platoon to save your comrades in arms. First and foremost, you did what you expected of yourself … Eliel, pride for your parents, the salt of the earth, handsome, smart, aggressive in battle and sensitive with his friends and soldiers. “