Bessley, Aryeh

Aryeh, son of Miriam and Salah, was born on May 13, 1955 in Kfar Saba, the seventh son of his eight-year-old family. When he was a child, the family moved to Moshav Giv’ulim in the northern Negev, where Aryeh studied at the “Ma’agalim” elementary school. In 1964 he moved with his family to Netanya and completed his elementary studies at the Shahal school. After graduating from high school, Aryeh started at Ort High School in Netanya, but after two years he was forced to stop studying to go to work and help with the agriculture of the house – despite his good grades and great appreciation from his teachers. Aryeh, or Arik by his acquaintances, was a devoted son to his family. He gave almost all his wages to his sickly parents, whose financial situation was difficult, and with the little money he kept for himself, he bought toys for his beloved little sister. According to his older sister, Erik would regularly visit the homes of the family. And on every visit he brought something-chocolate, flowers, or some tree branch he found on his way. Arik loved traveling and at every opportunity “seduced” the family to join him on his trips. Until Aryeh was conscripted into the army to store objects in the Egged. At that time he was an active member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed movement. He served as an instructor in the movement and even turned the tool store in his parents’ home into a club that served him and his friends. He loved photography very much and left behind a large collection of fine photographs of his trips – landscapes and photographs of his friends and family. Aryeh was drafted into the IDF in mid-November 1972 and assigned to the Armored Corps, where he served as a truck driver, during which he spent most of his time in Sinai, and according to his sister’s testimony Aryeh was “Simcha that he was finally a soldier.” On the first day of the war, on October 6, 1973, enemy planes attacked the unit’s camp and Aryeh was hit and killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Netanya. Survived by his parents, three brothers and four sisters. After his fall, he was promoted to corporal. In a letter of condolences to the family, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote: “Aryeh was a dedicated and loyal soldier, and was loved by everyone who knew him.”