Yoram (Yorek), son of Yehudit and Yochanan, was born on March 4, 1954 in Tel Aviv. He studied at the Magen Elementary School in the Maoz-Aviv neighborhood and was a diligent student. After eight years of study he decided to continue his studies at the military boarding school near the Reali School in Haifa. Yoram studied in the biological track at the school, and in the summer of 1972 he passed the matriculation exams, and was a tall, alert and intelligent young man, who was described as “straight, cheerful, sharp-minded and with a high sense of humor. For all this, he was a good friend and loved everything.” He was always willing to help and take care of others.” When he learned that he had successfully passed the entrance exams to the Reali School in Haifa, he exclaimed, “This is the greatest day of my life!” “Yoram recognized the vitality of volunteering and knew that every citizen must devote his full energies to his country, and he was deeply interested in reading the heroism of soldiers who received commendations, and later served as a model for his own behavior in the IDF. He was a sports fan and played tennis and football and swimming. Before he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah day, he joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team and was praised for his accomplishments in various sports. Yoram was a member of the scout movement and was known among his friends as an active youth, entrepreneur and organizational ability, devoted son to his parents and a serious and thoughtful person. Yoram was drafted into the IDF at the beginning of November 1972 and assigned to the Armored Corps. After basic training, he completed a tank training course and advanced training in a tank battalion. He did not stop there, and continued his training in the tank commanders course. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served as a noncommissioned tank commander, and was an exemplary soldier who served as an example to his friends in his good temper and passivity, carrying out every task he was given impeccably, and never expressing any grievance or indignation. “He never refused to help a friend in distress, and he could always listen to a friend who had a dilemma and to provide good advice”, and in August 1973 he was sent to an officer’s course and undertook to extend his military service in the permanent army. But he was unable to implement his plans. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yoram was in the final stages of the course. When a state of alert was declared, he joined an armored battalion stationed on the southern front, and together with his three friends from the military boarding school, fought in the Patton tank. The company commander said, “We called this tank, the Cadet Tank, a wonderful team, professionally excellent and above all, a team with high morale, which served as a model for all the company’s teams during difficult battles and moments of crisis.” Yoram and his comrades took part in fierce battles in the Sinai desert, and friends tell with astonishment about Yoram’s courage and dedication. On October 15, Yoram was a force that broke through the Suez Canal to allow the crossing of additional forces. On the night of the 20th of Tishrei 5734 (October 16, 1973), known as the “Night of Hell,” his tank was hit in the “Chinese Farm.” All of the crew members were injured but continued to fight until the ammunition ran out. Yoram and his friends abandoned the tank, Death, too, could not separate friends from childhood, he was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul and left behind a father, mother and sister. In a letter of condolences to the bereaved family, the defense minister wrote at the time: “Yoram served in the army corps. He was an excellent soldier, an efficient officer and a loyal friend. Yoram was popular. “
