Blankenhammer, Gabriel

Gabriel, son of Chaya and Chaim, a survivor of the Holocaust of Europe, was born on November 30, 1949, in Haifa, where his family lived in Pardes Hanna and moved to Petach Tikva in 1951. After completing his studies at the Neve Oz vocational high school, he received a government certificate, and Gabriel, who was known as Gabi, excelled in those areas that required technical skills and earned great praise for his accomplishments at work. He worked as a locksmith, in order to help support the family and not to be a burden on his parents. The company and was a great partner for sports activities, especially football and swimming. Most of his free time devoted to reading classic literature and listening to music, mostly folk songs and Chazzanut periods. Gabi drafted into the IDF in early November 1967, and was assigned to the Armored Corps. After completing basic training, he served as a quartermaster and later took a driving course and was assigned to a tank battalion as a caterpillar driver, and he was a conscientious and disciplined soldier who fulfilled the tasks assigned to him and received great respect from his commanders. After the liberation, he worked as a locksmith in a plumbing factory, and in April 1972 he joined the army for one year. During the Yom Kippur War his unit participated in the battles of containment and infiltration in the Sinai. Gabriel played his part as a driver, transporting ammunition and supplies to the fighting forces. On October 20, 1973, a few days before the cease-fire went into effect, he was hit by enemy shelling of the area under the control of our forces west of the Suez Canal and killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the Petach Tikva cemetery. Survived by his parents, two brothers and two sisters. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. His comrades in the unit published a booklet containing the battalion’s story during the Yom Kippur War, as well as the words of friends about his character, along with his comrades in the battalion who fell in battle.