Himmo, Shmuel

Son of Sarah and Yitzhak Meir was born on December 9, 1962 in Tel Aviv. When Shmuel was 3 years old, his parents moved to Ashdod. Where he studied at the Shikmim Elementary School and at the Gimmel High School. Shmuel joined the Scouts movement and dedicated much of his time and energies to this movement. He belonged to Hapoel Ashdod, and in this group he played basketball for a long time. Shmuel was an introverted, quiet boy, never complaining, and always willing to help others. When he was in 10th grade he began to organize a Nahal unit in the “Scouts” movement and joined the nucleus and became a living spirit, recruiting members, finding a place for meetings in a shelter that he arranged and decorated to serve as a club for his friends. After completing his studies in high school, Shmuel spent some time in the kibbutz to learn his way of life and prepare himself for life in the nucleus, where he joined the IDF in January 1981. Shmuel successfully passed several courses. On the eve of Rosh Hashana 5739 (September 16, 1982), two days after the assassination of Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel, And the IDF troops were sent to western Beirut, where Shmuel was assigned to cross a bridge, but the enemy’s fire prevented the crossing from continuing, and an IDF force was stranded on both sides of the bridge. The battalion commanders knew that only the daring action of individual fighters could entrench the enemy’s fire, paralyze it, and allow the crossing to continue on the bridge. Shmuel volunteered for this mission. About fifteen minutes later, the IDF force managed to cross the bridge, but Shmuel was hit by enemy fire and the next day, on Rosh Hashana 5743 (17.9.1982), he died in the hospital. He was 20 years old when he died. Defense Minister Ariel Sharon wrote to his family: “Shmuel served in a paratroop battalion. He was a good friend of all his friends, disciplined, a member of the nucleus, one of the pillars of the nucleus. “After the war in Lebanon ended, the deputy commander of his battalion recommended to his superiors to award Shmuel a citation, and he was buried at home. – The military cemetery in Ashdod He left behind his parents and brother, his mother died about a year after he fell, and a basketball team was established in Ashdod,