Gafni, Zvi
Son of Yehudit and Yechezkel, he was born on September 10, 1939 in Nesher near Haifa. His parents immigrated from Romania shortly before he was born, settled in a shack in the neighborhood and the father worked in the cement factory. Zvi attended elementary school in Nesher, and then moved to the youth group at Kibbutz Gan Shmuel. He continued his studies, worked and stood out in the kibbutz social activities. Zvi acquired friends who remained attached to him all his life. He loved the work of the land in the vegetable garden and devoted most of his life to it. Toward the end of their studies at Gan Shmuel, a decision was made that the youth group would complete the core of the settlers in Kibbutz Sa’ar in the Western Galilee. In 1957 Zvi came to Sa’ar. A year later, he joined the IDF and served in the paratroop brigade. In 1960, after three years of service, he returned to Kibbutz Sa’ar and began working in the field crops field. In 1963 he married Ada, a member of Kibbutz Beit Alfa, and they had four children. With the outbreak of the Six-Day War, Zvi served in the Paratroopers Brigade, which fought in the battles for the liberation of Jerusalem. Even after the war he continued to serve in the reserve duty brigade, and participated in the pursuit of terrorists in the Jordan Valley. During the Yom Kippur War he fought in the difficult battles in Sinai. He was a farmer in heart and soul, surrounded by young people who admired him and loved working with him in field work. In 1977 he was transferred from the Paratroopers Brigade to the Armored Corps and was promoted to the rank of sergeant, decorated with medals of the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. He was drafted into reserve duty and embarked on operational activity in Lebanon. On 2 Tamuz, June 23, 1982, his car ran over a mine and he was killed. He was 42 when he died. Zvi was laid to rest in the cemetery in Kibbutz Sa’ar. He left behind a wife, four children, a brother and a sister.
