Gal-Oz, Kobi (Yaakov)

Son of Shlomo and Miriam. He was born on 24.11.1956 in Haifa and was named after Yaakov Berko, the brother of his mother Miriam, who fell in a convoy to Yehiam in 1948. He studied at the Habonim elementary school in Kiryat Bialik and in 1966 joined his family in Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra. He graduated from the eighth grade and continued to study at the Sulam Tzur regional school near Kibbutz Gesher Haziv. In 1971, he joined his parents on a mission to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a year and a half. Upon his return to Israel he returned to study at the Gesher Haziv school and completed his studies in a humane-general track. At the end of his studies, he volunteered for an additional year of service and guided youth in Ramat Aviv. He was the coordinator of the “Working and Studying Youth” group on the spot, and in this role he demonstrated exemplary dedication and devotion. There was a lot of vitality in Kobi. He was very active in many fields and was particularly interested in music, basketball and sailing. A chemist set sail for Cyprus and the Ionian Islands. Even when he was a soldier he continued to devote himself to the sport and would come steadily to training even in the middle of the week. Kobi was drafted into the IDF in October 1975. He was trained as a pilot in December 1977. At the end of his first year of service, his commander wrote about him in an interview: “During the period he demonstrated a good flight level and reached a good level. At the current level and its potential, it will be able to go far. He fulfilled his duties in a responsible and good manner. “About a month before his fall, Kobi was assigned a new challenge, and he received the role of a training officer of Basso. In the cemetery at Rosh Hanikra, after which they were raised to the rank of captain, leaving behind parents and three brothers, and the ship of Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra is named after Kobi.