Giz, Yonatan (Yoni)

Yonatan, son of Chava and Shimon Giz, was born on August 10, 1963, in Jerusalem. Yoni’s childhood was full and Simcha. He began his studies at the “Beit HaYeled” elementary school and at ORT College in Givat Ram in Jerusalem. The teachers enjoyed his wisdom and knowledge and noted that he had a quick grasp and that everyone regarded him as a prodigy. From childhood he was attracted to the blue uniform, and he repeatedly chose to dress up as a policeman on Purim. Everyone liked Yoni because of his modesty and his pleasant and quiet temperament.
In 1981 he enlisted in the IDF. He was stationed in the air force, and served at the Tel Nof base in a unique field of electronic warfare. Yoni continued to serve in the army for another two and a half years, and was discharged in 1986 with the rank of senior sergeant, equipped with the warmest opinions of his commanders: “A diligent, proactive, disciplined, responsible and motivated soldier with high personal potential.”
After his release, Yoni turned to engineering studies at the Technion in Haifa. In 1992 he graduated with honors in science and civil engineering. In addition to his studies, he worked in the Jerusalem Municipality for the next six years. Yoni took part in the planning of the traffic system in Jerusalem, including complex projects including the planning of the light railway, the Begin road and the construction of bridges and tunnels.
Yoni to decide to enlist in the Israel Police, a decision that brought great pride to his parents. During his fifteen years in the police force, Yoni worked in a variety of senior officer positions, first as a traffic engineer in the Jerusalem District, and later as part of the ATN (Movement Division), and in June he was promoted to the rank of Superintendent of the Traffic Accident Investigation Unit in Jerusalem, a position he held until 2005.
On Monday, February 2, 2014, a few weeks after the start of a new chapter in his professional career, Chief Superintendent Jonathan Giz fell in the line of duty at the age of fifty-one, and all his loved ones and hundreds of police escorted him on his last journey. He was buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, not far from the grave of his grandfather Shalom (Shilo) Giz, who fell in the War of Independence, leaving behind a son and daughter, parents and two brothers.