Gonen, Omri-Sefi (Hamish)
Ben Atara and Yosef. He was born on 26.11.1968 in Kampala, Uganda, where his parents stayed on the occasion of the father’s mission on behalf of the IDF. In 1970 the whole family returned to Israel and lived in Kiryat Haim, where he studied at the Arlozorov Elementary School. Afterward he continued to study in the junior high and high school of the comprehensive urban high school in Kiryat Haim, where he completed his studies in electronics. He was a diligent student and excelled in the real professions. During his years of study, he participated in courses for the advancement of gifted children at the Technion. In Omri one could find consideration and politeness alongside stubbornness and determination, admiration for wisdom and perfection, sensitivity to human beings and the beauty of nature. As a child he was under arrest. Already at a young age, he pondered philosophical questions about the secrets of life and the universe. He used to occupy himself and spend his time reading and playing games. As an adolescent, computers occupied most of his free time, but he also developed it and paved the way for other fields and connections with peers. He has achieved high achievements in the computer field, to the point of connecting the operating software of the computerized video library (Vidiomat). Although he sat for many hours in front of the computer, he found time to volunteer for the elderly and the Civil Guard, and to work as part of a political organization for youth. The members of the Tehiya youth movement wrote: “Few people devoted such time, thought, and enthusiasm to the movement, and it was not only the youthfulness, kindness, and kindness that we lost, it was also the rare intellectual ability and understanding that was the ability to lead and organize, . In addition to those many read, especially science fiction, shoot and even cultivate animals and plants. In preparation for the induction he began to engage intensively in sports and in the development of physical fitness. Omri was drafted into the IDF in July 1987. He served for a long time as a gunner in the rampart, and testified in his writings that the service as a combat soldier added a lot to him, both in terms of practice and self-image. His commander, the adjutant, said, “He did his work in the best possible way. He was prepared for work, ability, investment and perseverance, as well as a wonderful understanding of the material. “Omri went on a mission to secure a convoy that entered the outpost in Lebanon, and on the way back he was injured, and on the 13th of Adar 5749 (February 18, 1989) “In his letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the unit commander wrote:” Omri, who was an outstanding and very disciplined soldier, was particularly prominent in his rapid absorption ability and in the ability to exercise his intelligence directly wherever he was and in every field in which he was located Tinker. Within a very short period of time, he improved the level of quirks beyond recognition, without prior training in the field of adjutant. Omri quickly became fond of those around him, and his death left a deep void in the battalion. “His parents donated a table lamp to his reading the Torah to the Shochrei Torah synagogue in Kiryat Haim and a television bookcase and a stereo system for the battalion in which he served.
