Biton, Eli

Eli (Eliahu), son of Rachel and Michael (Makhluf), was born on May 25, 1947, in Casablanca, Morocco, where his family immigrated to Israel in 1949. He began his studies at the “Geulim” He moved to the “Kol Yisrael Haverim” school and completed his eighth year of studies at the same school for three years, with a mechanical framework, and he was a modest, pleasant, and humble boy. With humility and avoidance of being beyond the usual and unusual, yet he was known for his honesty, kindness, and willingness to always be of help to all who wished. He loved his parents, his brother, and his home, and even when he was away from them during his military service, he tried to increase his visits to the house and even wanted to serve nearby so that he could help his parents to support the family and continue to be a member of his family. Eliahu was drafted into the IDF in early August 1965. After completing basic training he completed a driving course and was sent to the Northern Command, where he served for two years as a driver. He then took a course in driving heavy trucks and was assigned to a heavy transport unit. He had faithfully and loyally fulfilled the difficult, gray, and tiresome role of a driver and earned the respect of his commanders. As part of this unit he participated in the Six-Day War. On October 15, 1973, his half-track was hit by enemy fire and Eli was killed. He was laid to rest at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem. Survived by his parents, sister and three brothers. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. His parents donated a Torah scroll to a synagogue in Jerusalem, where Eli used to pray on Saturdays and holidays, where his bar mitzvah party was held. In this synagogue, a memorial ceremony is held for Eli, every year, during the intermediate days of Sukkot.