Eliashkashvili, Raphael

Son of Hannah and Shalom. He was born in 1955 in the Soviet Union and was the eldest son of a family of three, and when Rafael was fourteen years old, the family immigrated to Israel and established their home in Lod, and a young Rafael, who was educated in Georgia, went to help support the family. Ten years later, he married Leah, and over the years they had three children: Etti, Yaakov and Aliza. He went on basic training, was stationed in the Artillery Corps and underwent basic training as a gunner. After a period, Rafael was released from regular service and assigned to a reserve battalion of the Artillery Corps. At the end of January 1988, Rafael was called to active reserve duty. On February 16, 1988, Raphael fell in the line of duty. He died in a traffic accident at the Almog junction in the Jordan Valley, while driving from his home to the base where he served. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Lod. Survived by Raya – Leah, two daughters – Esther and Aliza, and son of – Yaakov. Father, brother – Issachar and sister – Tamar. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the commander of the unit wrote: “Raphael served in my unit as a gunman for a very long time, and he did his work with great investment and attention … The spirit of volunteerism was one of his most prominent traits, .