Fisher, Gilad

Ben Hedva and Hanan. He was born on Saturday 25 September 1982 in Rishon Letzion, the second child in the family, two and a half years younger than his eldest sister Inbal, and the parents saw it as a sign of a child who would grow up and become a special person The first days of his life were spent in Rishon Letzion, but his family already belonged to the nucleus that planned his immigration to Hoshaya, a community-religious community in the Lower Galilee, where he suffered from severe bronchitis and was in mortal danger. He was an expert pediatrician, saved and healthy, and Gilad was ten months old when the family arrived at Mitzpe Hoshaya He began his studies at the regional religious school in Kibbutz Lavi, and his parents remember well the mixed feelings that accompanied him on his way to the bus – a frightened and anxious look, yet he is very excited and expects. His gentle, innocent gaze and his blue eyes, which were so sensitive, Gilad’s personality began to develop and change, and the place of the mischievous and mischievous acts was met by quietness and convergence, and Gilad became a delicate, sensitive and modest child who did not ask for anything. From the day he discovered the ball he found a hobby in his heart and spent most of his spare time devoted to training and basketball games in a basketball tournament held in his settlement. At the beginning of his youth he was an active member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement and took part in all the movement’s educational institutions. When he reached the age of mitzvot, Gilad focused on the Bar Mitzvah sermon that dealt with Parashat Bereishit, likening what is happening in the biblical story to his own life: “When I enter the mitzvah I feel as if I am beginning to climb a high mountain. I hope and pray to reach the top of the mountain with satisfaction from the way I did the challenge. ” Gilad continued his studies at the Ort high school in Tiberias. This part of his life would not have pleased him, but Gilad worked hard, gritted his teeth and did it. In the 11th grade he received a wonderful educator who absorbed him well and instilled in him the right motivation in order to finish his studies in the best possible way. Gilad’s personality matured at a special and very personal pace – he had his time and his way, and he always chose what, when and how, while insisting on his own, and his world of values ​​included faith, honesty and modesty of truth. Absolute justice was not compromised and hypocrisy was the embodiment of the flawed and the invalid Gilad believed that ” “He believed that materialism was not a question of possibility, but rather of necessity, and that this was not said out of hand, and Gilad believed it wholeheartedly, and even the pocket money he received sought to restore or reduce it, because He was very open to his friends, and they knew that it was always possible to come here, and he was also serious about his behavior and his avoidance of acts of folly and his friends defined him as “a few steps Above us. ” Gilad always loved to give himself to others and to influence his environment. He was very attached to his family and helped at home happily. For Hagai, his younger brother, was a role model, and forHis sister Reut was as close as possible. And anyway, Gilad was always worried that “everything would be all right.” When he graduated from high school, Gilad pondered much about his future – whether to enlist immediately or to take additional time for Torah study and personal strengthening. After thorough deliberation and examination, he decided to join the “Keshet Yehuda” pre-military preparatory program in Moshav Keshet, which meant that he was studying for a year and a half until the induction. There, on the heights of the Golan, Gilad grew stronger in his faith and his personality grew stronger. Eyal, a member of the preparatory program, says: “Gilad bought a name for himself in his special and high qualities, and in every person there are certain traits that characterize him, but Gilad has the most obvious traits that characterized him, simplicity, humility, joy of life and love of others. , But he knew how to do a lot! ” Indeed, Gilad did not only for his own sake but also worked for the public as well: “… every time they needed a volunteer, Gilad was among the first to stand up and say: ‘Me!’ The special thing about me was that it was not because of lack of choice , Because there is no one to volunteer and help, but out of a deep and pure inner desire, and especially with a flushed smile on his face, “continues Eyal. During this period, Gilad chose to raise his hair, perhaps as a symbol of the inner freedom he developed: a fine rebellion by a modest boy. Keshet also created a good connection with rabbis and set his own path in faith and observance. At the same time, his choice was made in the military track. Before joining the army, the whole family went on a two-and-a-half-hour trip to a number of European countries and Gilad returned full of experiences and was backed up by renewed forces. Gilad enlisted in the IDF in March 2002. He wanted to do his army service in a quality unit and be a regular combatant, and to that end he joined the “Gahalat” nucleus of Bnei Akiva, which set out on track in the 50th Battalion of the Nahal Brigade. As part of the nuclear program, he could have gone on a social mission, but Gilad chose the continuous military route – to serve full service without any discounts. And so, from strength to strength, step by step, he moved up the road. He went back to the old battalions to continue the course of warfare and not to command, and later went on to a mortar course and at the end of his career returned to the auxiliary company of the ” Basalt “as a noncom in the company’s mortars department. During his service he participated in complex operational activities in hostile areas and in high-risk locations, but never complained. He stayed in Judea and Samaria, served in Bethlehem and Hebron, and reached Mount Dov on the Lebanese border. He was very fond of his friends and commanders, “simply because he was pleasant, welcoming to everyone and doing his work impeccably,” his friends explain. All along the way, they said, Gilad was one of those who did, and not of those who had to be told what to do. He just did, as if it were obvious. During the operational period in Hebron, before the end of the route, Gilad captured the heart of his sergeant. This saw him as one of the pillars of the department, “the glue of the department,” and assigned him tasks in the knowledge that Gilad would be best served. The fact that he was a lone religious soldier in the company of secular soldiers was not simple, but Gilad remained faithful to his path and his faith. “It’s not easy to stand up for principles and keep a path in an environment that creates difficult conditions – but Gilad believed, insisted and did,” testified one of his commanders. Indeed, Gilad did not force himself on anyone, found the time to put on tefillin and pray, and tried to draw strength every visit to the house. His thoughts and thoughts were written down, and these were added to articles he had written during his studies and collected in pamphlets. Gilad has written extensively about his aversion to hypocrisy and falsification, the search for justice, honesty, friendship and truth. The last months of Gilad’s life were marked by P.Her smell-like a flower that opened to the world; there was a joy in him, which he enjoyed sharing with his lovers. During this period he began playing guitar and accompanied his playing with singing. He read a lot and literally swallowed books, mainly books of faith and thought. He also showed an interest in the history of the Jewish people and the legacy of battle and began to contemplate the possibility that he would learn history in the future. In the family field he felt sincere and sincere joy on the occasion of his close sister Inbal’s marriage, and warmly welcomed Moti, his future brother-in-law. The two became close friends, almost brothers, and the chemistry between them contributed significantly. Gilad helped organize the wedding and prepare the couple’s intended home. Time passed, and Gilad was already thinking about the period after liberation. With the countdown, the questions also began to arise, in anticipation of the approaching crossroads. From one operational activity to another, his company set out for a vacation in Ashkelon, and from there it was moved to Gaza, an area where Gilad had never served. The days were the days of Operation Days of Repentance aimed at preventing the firing of Qassam rockets at Israeli territory, and Gilad’s company was called to replace the engineering company of the Givati ​​patrol battalion, which was about to enter Gaza. The auxiliary company was given responsibility for the “Seventy Ridge” sector, when the mortar division, where Gilad served, was stationed at the “Hali” post opposite Jabalya. When Gilad arrived at the place, he was stunned: it was an exposed outpost, which he called “Halfon Hill.” Three days after his arrival, his life was severed. Gilad fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip on Sukkot, on the 30th of Tishrei 5765 (September 30, 2004), at the age of twenty-two. Gilad was charged with guarding the opening of the “Hali” outpost, and another soldier who was guarding him was stationed on the northeastern sector of the outpost. At approximately three in the morning, under the heavy fog, two Hamas terrorists moved south of the outpost, carried out an eastern flank and advanced toward its entrance. A few meters away, Gilad identified one of the terrorists at the gate of the outpost, opened fire at him, and killed him. The commander of the outpost and another soldier heard the shooting and ran towards the guard and identified the second terrorist, who threw an explosive device at the guard post, and the soldiers attacked, killed and killed him. Gilad’s alertness and swift action prevented the infiltration of terrorists into the outpost and saved the lives of his comrades, and for this act it was decided to award him a citation. . Gilad, who guarded the guard post in a thick misty night, actually saved the rest of his friends who were sleeping at the time, apparently doing what was expected of him, but looking deeper into the circumstances reveals professionalism, courage, determination, evil. These are the values ​​that we are educating generations of commanders and fighters – Gilad brought these values ​​into the short battle he waged against the terrorist he killed. … Gilad’s death ordered his life for his comrades, and that would be commendable. “Gilad was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Hoshaya and became the first IDF space for the community. Survived by parents, two sisters – Inbal and Reut and another – Hagai. On his grave were engraved the words “A beloved child, pure and pure, in your death you commanded others to live.” At the memorial ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of his death, he eulogized his mother Gilad: “… Our Gilad was a man full of his soldiers, and his purity and quiet were filled with faith in the path, values, gaze, and integrity. Everywhere, he was quiet and did not want to stand out, and it was precisely because of this quiet that he found a place and a presence: When a conversation developed, he brought himself with a statement,Left his mark. … Gilad, they are just beginning to live at an age, and here – forever. “The print and electronic media covered the circumstances of the incident and shed light on the image of Gilad:” Gilad to Gilad: Moments with you and without you … ” “Rabbi Gilad Shalit, who taught Gilad in the preparatory program at Keshet, wrote:” … Anyone who knew Gilad knows how much he was a child and a man of longing. Quietly, in his humble way, with a torn heart and a sore heart, he wanted more, he aspired to the good and the perfection, good for heaven and goodness. And stubbornly dribbled this goodness into the reality in which he lived and acted, until the soul was given, for the sake of the other. “On the last page of the memorial booklet, the parents bring a brief summary from Gilad’s personal diary, which opens with the question” What’s happening with our life? ” The parents: “From this question grows a sharp, razor-sharp, uncompromising view. Gilad demands truth, Gilad asks every Jew, especially a believing Jew, to look at his life honestly and without forgiveness. … This call to stop the crazy race of life for a moment, to take a deep breath and live with our truth, repeats and puts to trial all our systems of life. … We see in his precious words a shining and deliberate gem. We wish to share with you Gilad’s last request for a clean, pure and genuine life. “Gilad was immortalized in a Torah scroll written in his name and placed in a synagogue in Hoshaya, and his family began to establish a beit midrash for him – a place of study and prayer – next to the synagogue.