Gideon, son of Hela and Nathan of blessed memory, was born on 12.7.1938 in Kibbutz Geva in the Jezreel Valley, and attended elementary school and in the subsequent classes at Kibbutz Geva. Gideon loved his studies and was one of the most talented students in the class. He took his studies seriously and asked his teachers quite complicated questions. His original conception, intellectual curiosity, and self-thought were combined with his meticulousness and precision in everything he did. As a child Gideon read a lot – mainly adventure books, and when he grew older – his interests expanded, and his excellent memory capacity helped him absorb everything he had learned and read. He was a cheerful, playful child, and when he grew up he became a sensitive, delicate boy, who wore a cloak of cynicism, was sarcastic in his tongue, and sometimes closed and introverted. Gideon was active in his company and became a leader in it, by virtue of his morality and modesty. He spent a lot of time playing chess and various sports – table tennis, tennis and swimming – and even participated in competitions in these areas. But most of all he liked to travel. His love of nature was integrated in intellectual perception, he loved the very trip and yet he longed to know the land, to know its vegetation and to understand its sons. Gideon was drafted into the IDF in October 1956 and volunteered for the Paratroopers Brigade after completing basic training and after completing various courses, including an officers’ course, was appointed as a platoon commander in a reconnaissance and anti-tank unit, and served as one of the pillars of the platoon. After graduating, he was called for periods of active reserve duty, and returned to Kibbutz Geva and worked in the fields of fish and dates, but he edited the pamphlet of the group and taught and trained in the field of knowledge of the country. He continued to circle the patrols, in which he himself was educated in the love of the land and its recognition In 1965, when he was twenty-five years old, Gideon and his wife Tzila from Geva moved to a field school in Eilat, where he spent many hours outdoors, focusing on the vegetation of the Negev, Gideon served as a captain in the military delegation to Sierra Leone, in Africa, where he worked as a guide. His time in Africa gave him many possibilities for looking and learning and growing, and even for looking at people, with wisdom and humor – as was his habit. After returning to Israel, and after the Six-Day War, Gideon began academic studies. During the first year he completed his matriculation exams, while studying geography, geology and climatology. He completed his BA studies in these subjects with honors, including botany studies. Afterward, he continued his master’s degree studies, which included research and training in laboratories. During the course of his studies, Gideon began a private war, in letters and newspaper reports, against the manifestations of negligence and against pretensions by the establishment and the government. All his acquaintances knew him as a type of “caring”. He devoted himself to his studies with talent and diligence, and enjoyed the effort involved in his difficult studies. The rowing trees that interested him from his days in Eilat were the subject of his thesis. This work involved many observations, travel, reading and data processing. Gideon bothered to whiten thoroughly, even seemingly distant areas of the research body. In addition to his studies, he worked as an instructor in the Department of Ecology, in the Department of Botany, and was able to catch up with his students with his enthusiasm. He also found time to participate in a study on Chinese vegetation,Out of his love for walks and thirst to add knowledge. He graduated with honors. In 1972 Gideon began lecturing to geography students at the Negev University and guided tours there. His students admired him very much and liked the work with him, and he treated them with respect and appreciated their work. As a thorough and thorough research man and a scientist seeking perfection, he began working on his doctoral dissertation, but did not complete it. In order to prepare the work, it was necessary to study whole ancillary subjects, but it was precisely this that was a challenge and an issue that Gideon always sought, wherever he went. And together with all his activities, and the complex curriculum and work, he could look up from the scientific material, see the world, socialize and have a relaxed conversation with friends who saw him as a good friend and an interesting colleague. He has even published a number of scientific publications in scientific publications in Israel and abroad. In the Yom Kippur War, Gideon took part in the braking battles against the Egyptians in Sinai. In a battle that took place on the 16th of Tishrei 5734 (16.10.1973) next to the “Chinese Farm” in the vicinity of the “Tartur Lexicon” junction, Gidon was injured and killed and brought to rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. His death was published by Kibbutz Geva in memory of his friends and his work in the field of science, and a booklet was published in memory of the university’s fallen, with a list in his memory: On Tu Bishvat, In memory of him, which contains a professional library, on June 1, 5735, Gideon was awarded a doctorate in philosophy for his doctoral thesis, which was completed by his friends.
