Chayat, Simcha (Sima)

Daughter of Abdullah (Ovadia) Warda. Was born on April 12, 1957 in Jerusalem as a daughter of a well-to-do family from Iraq. Sima grew up in Maoz Zion near Jerusalem where she attended kindergarten and Ariel Elementary School. The family was in dire financial straits, the mother had to go to work, and so the burden of caring for the young girl fell to a great extent on the four older brothers and sisters. Sima was a good student, and after completing her elementary studies, she was accepted to the Olina de Rothschild High School in a general humanistic direction and completed her studies at the end of four years. Sima was a sensitive girl, kind and serious. Participated in the activities of the local youth club. Participated in a course for children’s counselors in a problematic manner, and despite the stress of studying under difficult conditions, she dealt with activities to eradicate illiteracy and help needy children. Before her enlistment in the IDF, Sima was sent to study at the Central Command, and her superiors were pleased by the way she filled her duties and promoted her to rank and then to the corporal, but not a year had passed since her enlistment, Sima’s promise was suddenly lost, and she fell in her role on 24 August 1976. She was brought to rest at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, leaving behind her parents, four brothers and sisters. Bereaved parents: “Sima was a model for many soldiers at the base. Her responsibility, her dedication to her job, and her modesty were something in the unit. Thanks to excellence in her position, she was promoted to a senior and responsible position. Sima will remain in our memory forever as a soldier of pleasant, modest, yet devoted and excelling in every role assigned to her. “Her parents commemorated her memory as a Torah scroll in her name for the synagogue in Maoz Zion.