Biton, Mordechai

Son of Aziza and David. Mordechai was born in Morocco on March 2, 1953. In 1963 the family immigrated to Israel. They settled in the city of Tiberias, where he continued his elementary studies at the “Torah” religious elementary school in Tiberias and also in the Hammad school. Mordechai then acquired the profession of cooks, worked in the profession and over the years progressed to the positions of senior waiter, restaurant management and event management. In 1970, Mordechai enlisted in the Nahal Brigade and served in various units as a cook, also volunteering for the task of rescuing soldiers and casualties from the battlefield and evacuating the hospitals on the home front. In 1981, he returned to the Border Police, after his civil service did not give him the same satisfaction and ambition. Mordechai was prominent in the field of logistics in all the Border Police units in the north, was responsible for preparing large events and was occasionally asked to organize for one unit or another for a party or event. A smile never left his face, he was satisfied with his work. Despite the fact that he was a cook, the young man volunteered for operational activity, he had a heart and was a caring figure, who knew how to honor a policeman and a commander alike. Mordechai married Yaffa and they had two children – Lior and Tal. Sergeant Mordechai was killed while performing his duty in Lebanon. On the 25th of Cheshvan 5743 (11.11.1982), during the Peace for Galilee War, an explosion took place in a building in the city of Tzur, home to the Israeli military government and many IDF forces. The building collapsed and about 100 people were killed, including seventy-six members of the Israeli security forces. One of those killed was Mordechai. Mordechai was twenty-nine years old when he fell. He was buried in the military cemetery in Tiberias. He left a wife and two children, parents, five brothers and three sisters. Mordechai’s son and two brothers served in the Border Police.