Yaakov-Shlomo, son of Dina and Michael-David, was born on January 8, 1952 in Tiberias. Even when he was a toddler, his family moved to Ashkelon. Yankele was admitted to kindergarten when he was only three years old, because at this early age he excelled in wisdom and excellent perception. He completed his elementary studies at the Beit Yehezkel Elementary School in Afridar, and later attended the municipal high school. Yankele was not one of the best students in his class, because he spent most of his time helping his friends with their studies. But his knowledge of the material was deep and wide. His homework was also damaged because he used to read whatever was next to him, practiced sports and devoted himself to school activities. Even at an early age the views of the handsome young man were crystallized and he knew how to stand up for himself. Among his friends he was known as a leader with authority and broad-heartedness. At the school he initiated the drama department and organized volunteer activities such as collecting clothes for the needy. He excelled in all areas of sport: he was an excellent swimmer and he managed the Kinneret several times and was also certified as a diving instructor. He participated in dozens of marches and worked on model airplanes. He also wrote philitons and poems and listened to music. He has won many medals for his achievements in sports, especially in target practice. He treated them all with contempt, and his parents often encountered him by chance while their son had won a medal. Yankele was a member of the Scouts movement, participated in many activities as an apprentice, and later as a counselor. On trips he would always help his friends with carrying freight, guidance and advice, and sometimes he also gave them the water he brought with him, and he himself remained thirsty. In the Gadna training he saw great importance and did not spare any effort in his activities in this field, and achieved great achievements thanks to his leadership ability. He often filled the place of the commander in charge with efficiency, dedication and good spirit. Yaakov was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in mid-August 1971, and was assigned to the Israel Air Force, where he passed the entrance examinations for a pilot course, but was later transferred to the Golani Brigade, and soon became an outstanding soldier and was one of the best machine-gunners in the brigade. He had become a great shooter and soon became a guide and offered several methods to improve the efficiency of shooting with certain weapons, as if he had prepared himself all his life for military service and as if he had a mission. And he had a tendonitis in his leg, he swallowed pills, gnashed his teeth and walked, only when he came to eleven o’clock During his military service, Yankele excelled in self-discipline and with great military knowledge, which surprised his commanders at times, and every task he was assigned was carried out in full and meticulous manner and always demanded more of himself and others When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yankele left for his unit on the Golan Heights, and the unit waited for many hours for a ride in Rosh Pina, and when the half-track arrived, he immediately jumped on it, set the machine gun in its cradle, : “That’s it, I’m going to war. The commander of the platoon was also interested in Yankele being with him, because he trusted him and knew that he could be assigned any task and that he would do it in full.was assigned to capture the Hermon post, which had fallen into the hands of the Syrians before The brigade patrol that Yankele served in led the brigade, and on October 8, 1973, the reconnaissance unit encountered an ambush and in the battle that took place, Yaakov was killed and killed, and he was brought to eternal rest in the Ashqelon cemetery,parents. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. For his heroism in the battle, he was awarded the “Medal of Valor” and this is the text of the letter of honor: “In witness and testimony that the late Sergeant Gonin Yaakov displayed heroism in carrying out a combat duty, with great trepidation. Description of the incident: On October 8, 1973, in the first battle on Mount Hermon, the late Corporal Ya’akov Gonin served as a machine gun operator at the commando unit, which was moving on the road. With the encounter with the Syrian force, he kept his cool, and together with four other fighters he fought for several hours in the position while the Syrians kept trying to reach them. During the battle, which took place at very short ranges and in heavy fog, Cpl. Ya’acov Gonin skipped from position to position, and when the Syrians tried to storm his position, he stood up, and firing from the hip broke the assault. One of the skips was hit by a bullet in the head and killed. Thanks to his courage and his hard and effective work, the Syrian force’s assault on the vital position of our forces was prevented. For this act he was awarded the Medal of Valor, in accordance with the Medal of Honor in the Israel Defense Forces 1970. Lieutenant General Mordechai Gur, Chief of the General Staff. ” Words in his memory were published in the book “Reut Such,” published by the “Golani” Brigade in memory of its fallen, and in Issue No. 46 of the weekly Bamahane.
