Ben Shulamit and Rafael. He was born in Afula on 14.3.1960. He grew up and was educated in Kibbutz Reshefim in the Beit Shean Valley, the brother of Noam and Ofra. He attended elementary school in his kibbutz and at the Gilboa High School in Beit Alpha. Erez was captured by nature’s charms from childhood, and he explored his secrets – searching insects and insects in shrubs and under the stones and trying to understand their structure. As a boy he became interested in archeology and geology and read many books on the subject. The interest in archeology and history, and the desire to travel and to know every place he was in, accompanied Erez all his life, and as an IDF officer, he always had history books and plant definitions of the Land of Israel. After about a year he did not find a challenge in his service and moved to Golani. He had to go through the warrior’s path from the beginning and did it successfully, showing great physical fitness and a great ability to navigate. At the end of 1981 he completed an officers’ course and returned to the Golani reconnaissance unit as a team commander. As a commander, Erez transferred his soldiers on a demanding route and ordered them to achieve the best achievements in the company and brigade. He knew how to be not only a commander but also an educator and a friend. Always professional, always creative, direct, modest and pleasant. During the operation in Lebanon he participated with his team in the conquest of the Beaufort outpost, was wounded in the battle but continued to fight, but after two days he left the area and returned to his unit in Lebanon. After the liberation he traveled backpacking in South America for about a year, and at the beginning of 1985 returned to Israel and returned to the army as a permanent man. Erez commanded a company in Golani, later became the operations officer of the brigade and in 1987 was appointed commander of the Golani reconnaissance unit. He has been praised for his work and his work, initiating many activities, including daring operations in Lebanon. In 1989, he moved to Hartal, Yagur, and returned to the army as commander of the infantry school. Erez, the commander, placed the issue of education in a high place, and his soldiers learned the subjects of knowledge of the land, the knowledge of the heritage of the Jewish people, and the knowledge of the heritage of the IDF in general and of the Golani Brigade in particular. He adopted the custom that became his trademark and part of his admiration – he began to carry his rifle in his hand, without a leash. That was what he did from then on. In 1993, he was appointed commander of the Eastern Division in the Lebanon area, and quickly learned the role and the field, initiated activities, and was successful in fighting the terrorists. In 1994 he went to study at the National Security College and Haifa University, and at the end of a year of study, in which he invested a great deal of effort, was a graduate of the political sciences and even gained a number of credits In 1995, he received command In addition to the constant striving to instill professionalism, determination in carrying out missions, and recognition of the importance of his role, Erez maintained a place of honor for soldiers’ education, who knew every piece of land and knew who fought for it and why he wanted to convey to his soldiers some of the knowledge His soldiers felt admiration for him in awe, and his name was borne in the IDF as a whole. His meetings with soldiers and his analysis of events were fascinating and instructive. Bereavement was an incomplete partSeparated from Erez’s existence as commander. Aside from the personal pain of losing a warrior or friend, he had to deal with the bereaved families. He visited their homes with dedication, and the relations he developed with bereaved families made his visits relaxed, free and family. In 1997, he completed his term as Golani Brigade commander, in an interview with which Erez emphasized that this brigade was and will remain the home for him, and the brown cap is the symbol: Erez was the heart of Golani and Golani was his heart. We will examine his ability to influence and be at the point of decision. It’s scary, annoying, unpleasant. In this, the commander is measured – how he enters events, how he functions in them and how he emerges from them … I am not afraid of fire. It does not bother me at all. It’s because of the recognition that if I’m afraid it will hurt my operational ability. Those in central command positions must know that he is liable to be killed. It’s part of our lives. “As a brigade commander he married Hartl to a woman. They built their home in Moshav Yogev, when Erez oversaw construction – sometimes close, sometimes from afar by telephone. Around the house planted various types of trees, plants and spices. In September 1997 their son Omar was born, and the happy Erez tried to make many trips home to spend time with his son. After serving as deputy commander of a division in the Golan Heights, he was appointed commander of the Liaison Unit in Lebanon at the beginning of 1998 and promoted to the rank of brigadier general. As in the past, he moved a lot in the field, without fear, and continued to initiate and improve the achievements of the IDF’s activities against Hezbollah, in addition to the military activity, he studied the affairs of the government and dealt with the population and the people of the South Lebanon Army. , And calmed the local leaders, who feared Israel’s withdrawal On February 28, 1999, Brig. Gen. Erez Gerstein fell in combat operations in Lebanon. He visited a Lebanese village to comfort mourners, and in the afternoon, when the convoy was on its way back to Israel, its vehicle mounted on a roadside bomb. With whom the commander of the unit, Imad Aburish, was killed. Staff Sergeant Amar al-Qabas and radio reporter Ilan Ro’a tied up with him. At thirty-nine, Erez was falling. He left behind a wife, son, parents, brother and sister. Erez was laid to rest at the Kibbutz Reshefim cemetery. Many commemoration activities were carried out in memory of Erez: At the hospital in Safed, an eye clinic was established. Beit Erez was established near the Jezreel Regional Council. Bisud Hama’ala was established in memory of the Birding Educator Center. In Metula he was named Ma’aleh Erez. Nahal Yatzvor has a hiking trail on the Gilboa to commemorate him. And a Torah scroll was put in his name.
