Gadassi, Ilan

Son of Michal and Shaul, was born on May 5, 1958, in Rehovot. Ilan attended the son of-Zvi Elementary School and the Katzir High School with a biological track. During this period, Ilan acquired many friends with a different background and style, and got along well with them and everyone loved him. In July 1976, Ilan enlisted in the IDF and volunteered to serve in the Nahal Brigade as a combat medic. But shortly after his induction, a disaster occurred in his family: his mother was killed in a traffic accident. At his request, Ilan moved to serve close to home, to help his father and his three younger brothers. When he was discharged from the army, Ilan decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a construction engineer. Indeed, he was accepted as a student of civil engineering at the Technion in Haifa, and finished his second year of studies. On weekends and vacations, Ilan worked at Kaplan Hospital as a medic to pay for his expenses. His superiors expressed their appreciation for his devotion to the work and his skills. Ilan loved hiking in nature, and at every opportunity he traveled with his friends in different places in Israel. In addition, Ilan did not skip abroad in the summer of 1981, with a friend from the Technion, for a two-month trip to Europe, and returned with exciting experiences. Ilan completed his short, vibrant, varied and full-fledged life in the Peace for Galilee War. When the war broke out, he immigrated with his unit to Lebanon and was annexed to a regular battalion. On June 10, 1982, when he was in the eastern sector, in the area of ​​Lake Karun near the village of Lavi, his unit was attacked. Ilan was hit and killed. He was 24 years old when he died. The commander of his unit told him after his death: “He served faithfully and devotedly in a framework in which he saw his destiny as a reserve soldier in the framework of the sickle and the sword.” Ilan was laid to rest in the Rehovot cemetery. He left behind a father and three brothers. His family published a pamphlet in his memory. The Education and Culture Department of the Rehovot Municipality established a library in the Marmorek-Sha’arayim neighborhood.