Hillman, Binyamin Aharon (Benji)

Binyamin Aharon, son of Judy and Danny Hilman, was born on October 3, 1979 in London, the capital of England. In December 1983, about a year after Shimon, the youngest son, was born, the family immigrated to Israel and established their home in Ra’anana. At the end of July 1998, Benji joined the IDF and was absorbed in the “Egoz” unit of the Golani Brigade, completing his basic training as an excellent soldier in 2000. When the Second Lebanon War broke out, Benji and the Egoz reconnaissance unit flew to Lebanon. A week after the outbreak of the war and only three weeks after his marriage to Ayala, Benji led his soldiers to work in the village of Maroun a-Ras opposite Shmu’el Avivim. On July 20, 2006, the force encountered armed Hizbullah terrorists who opened heavy fire. Benji and three of his soldiers were killed in battle. Benji was twenty-six when he fell. He was laid to rest in the military section of the cemetery in Ra’anana. Survived by a wife, parents, sister and brother. After his fall he was promoted to the rank of Major.