Hacohen-Tarab Maselton, Yaakov
Son of Yaffa and Yosef, was born on August 7, 1963 in Tel Aviv. Yaakov received his early education at the religious school “Etzion” in Tel Aviv. When the family settled in Daughter of-Yam, he continued to study at the Harel State Religious School and the Aderet Yeshiva, both in Daughter of-Yam. From there, Jacob discovered the place of Torah and successfully completed his studies at the “Torah and Crafts” yeshiva in Petah Tikva. Jacob was a quiet, modest and shy boy. Nevertheless, he was active in society in his quiet way. As he grew older, Yaakov became a strong and handsome man, first and foremost among his friends. He belonged to the Bnei Akiva religious youth movement and liked to play sports, especially swimming, basketball and running. But his main hobby was to treat ornamental fish. His home was an aquarium, and he used to tell his family: “Look, when I’m married, I’ll make an aquarium on my wall.” Jacob traveled extensively all over the country, leaving behind a large collection of photographs commemorating the corners of the country where his feet were traveling. Jacob had good intelligence and he helped his parents with all the housework. The laughter did not drop from his face, and he always had a good word for everyone. Yaakov was drafted into the IDF in October 1981 and was assigned to the Israel Defense Forces in the Intelligence Corps, and he agreed to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, even though they were required to sign one permanent year after completing compulsory military service. His commanders were great, and they always noted him as a good soldier who performed his work in the best possible way, and in his military service, despite all his difficulties and limitations, Jacob adhered to the religious way in which he grew up on the 17th of Adar 5745 (March 17, 1985) , First sergeant Jacob fell in combat in Lebanon during the Peace for Galilee War and was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Holon, leaving behind his parents, three sisters and a brother. In his condolences to the bereaved family, the commander of his unit stated that “Koby enlisted in the unit about three and a half years ago and served there, after successfully completing professional training, until his fall. Throughout this period, he served in a team that is part of the unit’s spearhead and has often participated in difficult missions at risk of self-endangerment. Since arriving at the unit, Kobi has been found to be a man imbued with values of education and tradition, and he has performed his duties impeccably, without hesitation, and while adhering to the mission. In his last mission, too, he remained committed to the fulfillment of his task – without compromising or waiting – out of fear of harm to the realization of the important goal.
