Gabai, Mordechai
Mordechai, son of Chaya and Yehuda, was born on January 16, 1954, in Jerusalem. He began his studies at the Beit Hakerem elementary school. When he was 10, his parents moved to Ramat Aviv in Tel Aviv and completed his studies at the Oranim elementary school. Afterward he studied at the Max Payne High School and completed his matriculation exams at Ankori High School. Mordechai, who was known as Moti, was a modest and pleasant boy. He quickly assimilated into every new society he was caught in, and the move from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv did not affect him at all. He had an excellent sense of humor and in his youth was the first to make pranks and childish tricks, in which he and his friends spent their free time. But he always knew how to set a limit and not go beyond good taste. Moti was a girlfriend and had many friends who loved him and asked for his girlfriend. He had leadership skills and in every society he was always the living spirit, and the center of interest. He was a loyal and devoted friend, helped his friends whenever they needed his help and was a popular figure, both in school and in military service, thanks to his pleasant manner and excellent qualities. His house was warm and open to friends and friends. He was known for his hospitality and many friends would gather at his house for parties and social gatherings. Along with the sense of humor and gaiety, Motti was characterized by mature seriousness and a sound and thorough approach to problems. He formulated a worldview and stuck to it faithfully. He was always able to defend his views and opinions enthusiastically with his friends. He had never spared criticism from anyone he thought he deserved. His teachers at the school and his commanders in the IDF knew that the confrontation with Moti would always be difficult because they were faced with a man who did not compromise when he believed in the justice of his views.Moti devoted his spare time to sports, mainly enjoying the beach and being a lover of swimming. He was a young, life-loving young man who knew how to enjoy all the good and the Yaffa in life, and dreamed of a multi-action future. Mordechai was drafted into the IDF in early February 1972 and assigned to the Armored Corps. After completing basic training, he was trained as a tank gunner and sent to serve in a tank battalion in the central sector of Sinai. Even during his military service, his special qualities were revealed. He was the leader in his department, and was called by his friends “the unqualified king.” His friends from the unit gathered around him and he was able to encourage them during the difficult hours of training and operational activity. Thanks to him, there was a good and cheerful atmosphere in the courage with which the unit did. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, his battalion of tanks was sent to participate in blocking the forces that began crossing the Suez Canal. On Yom Kippur, 10 Tishrei 5734 (October 6, 1973), while he was on his way to the rescue of the besieged stronghold fighters, his tank was hit and Motti was killed and brought to rest in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery, leaving behind his parents, brother and sister. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant: “Your son Mordechai served as a tank gunner in a tank, which, with few forces and many, served to repel enemy forces. Lev, the enemy who surrounded the tank until the tank was hit and Mordechai found his death there. “
