BenYosef, Avner

Avner, son of Shoshana and Haim, was born on December 16, 1943, in Moshav Avihail, and attended elementary school in Avihail and the ORT vocational high school in Netanya. He was a diligent student, full of energy, optimistic and Simcha-and because of the smile that always hung on his lips, he quickly and easily liked his teachers and friends. Avner was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement and participated in various social activities that were organized within the framework of the movement. He was a sports fan, participated in marches and was a member of the folk dancing department. He had a collection of stamps for which he devoted a lot of time, and at the same time was a member of the Avihail Youth Orchestra – Netanya, as a trumpet player and participated in the choir of the Netanya Workers’ Council. Avner was devoted to his parents, cared for his family and loved to help others. Avner was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in early 1962. After completing basic training, he was assigned to one of the Ordnance Corps units in the south, where he was known as a responsible and serious soldier. At the end of compulsory service, Avner volunteered for a regular army service and was sent twice for professional training in the United States. In 1971 he completed an officers’ course, was promoted to lieutenant, and was appointed commander of a workshop in the Ordnance Corps. Among his comrades in the unit, Avner was known as a man who detested superficial work. He always wanted to go deeper into thinking and find more solutions and possibilities for any situation he encountered. His friends in the unit say he was not prepared to hear the words “impossible” and his slogan was: “There is nothing that can not be done – unless you have not tried hard enough.” Shortly before the outbreak of the war, Avner was appointed deputy commander of an armament company. As part of his job he often helped his soldiers, who found him attentive to their personal problems. His subordinates say that around Avner there was always an atmosphere of calm and worry, and everyone who turned to him knew that everything would be all right. At the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, Avner fought with his unit in Sinai. On October 19, 1973, the bridge area in the West Bank of the Suez Canal was hit by shelling and killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Avihail. He left behind a wife, a son and a daughter. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his friend wrote to the unit: “Words will not suffice to describe Avner, but words alone will not be able to paint his wonderful image.