Hazan, Zion

Son of Shula and Avraham, was born in 1954 in Morocco. Zion was the son of a traditional family with many children. In April 1956 he immigrated with his parents to Israel, and the family settled in Sderot. Zion attended the religious state school in his hometown and excelled in his studies. After completing eight grades, he moved to the Tagar high school in Ashkelon. Zion was gifted, diligent and strong-willed. He searched for odd jobs for the night, and learned in the days. Thanks to his skills and diligence, he saw a blessing in his actions. In August 1973, Zion enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces and served in the Armored Corps. About a year later, Zion was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After a year he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and his commanders’ opinion at the time was: “He is a very good professional, a disciplined officer, an inventor of initiative and resourcefulness, Honest and reliable, fulfills his duties to the satisfaction of his commanders. “In February 1977, he decided to retire from the IDF and return to his studies at the Technion, Haifa, in the field of electrical engineering. He studied at the Technion for four years, supporting himself at odd jobs at night. He completed his studies with honors in April 1982, and was immediately accepted to work at one of the largest factories in Haifa. He was also promised professional advancement and continued training in the United States. Six weeks after completing his studies at the Technion, the Peace for Galilee War broke out. Zion was called up for reserve duty, as deputy company commander in the maintenance corps. On June 10, 1982, Zion was killed in a battle in Lebanon. He was 26 years old when he died. After he fell, he was promoted to captain. Zion was laid to rest in the military section of the Sderot cemetery. He left behind his parents, six brothers and five sisters. Defense Minister Ariel Sharon wrote in a letter of condolence to his family: “Captain Zion Hazan gave his life for his homeland, he fell in the Lebanon Valley, served in a battalion in the maintenance corps. He had a strong will. ” The commander of his unit wrote to his family: “Zion was a deputy company commander in the battalion. He was a good officer, loved and accepted by his soldiers and commanders. He did his duty very well and contributed greatly to the formation of his company.”