Israelovitch, Avraham (Avi)
Son of Zeev and Matilda. He was born on the 22nd of Tishrei 5711 (22.9.1950) in Haifa. He was ten years old when he and his family set sail on a “North” ship around the African continent. He liked all the crew and they loved him very much. This voyage greatly influenced the shaping of his personality and motivated him to decide to become a sailor when he grew up. He studied at the elementary school in Eilat and was discovered to be an intelligent and sensitive boy who always tends to connect with the weaker one in order to come to his aid and assist him. His parents hoped that he would continue to attend high school, but he refused, because he wanted to be a sailor and see the world. His mother explained to him that without proper training, he would not be accepted to work on the ship, and when he realized that she was right, he began studying mechanics while working in the parent workshop. After completing his studies in a maritime vocational school he took the matriculation exams on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and successfully passed them. He was accepted to the seamen’s union and at the age of 16 he was already working on the ship A / M Har-Boker that was sailing around the world. On this ship Avraham served for a year and a quarter and was very proud of his ability to hold out for so long (unlike the rest of the sailors). In one letter he sent to his mother from the Lev of the sea, he wrote that the captain and he were the only Israelis on the ship and that he must remain on duty, since “it is not possible that there will not be a sailor of our own on an Israeli ship. After leaving this ship, he sailed on another ship, T / S Samson, for a short time. Before he enlisted, he worked for several months on the beach. He was drafted into the IDF in February 1969. After completing basic training, he successfully completed a course for noncoms and was sent to serve in the Canal area. When he came on vacation he would reassure the mother that “I know how to keep myself.” On April 26, 1970, he fell in the shelling and was put to rest in the cemetery in Ashdod, where his friends and commanders reported that at the time of the bombardment, Avraham received information that IDF patrol personnel had ambushed an Egyptian ambush near the outpost. Because, due to the short distance from the position to the ambush, Avraham could not use the large cannon, which he commanded, and he jumped to use a mortar aimed at the ambush, while being hit by an Egyptian shell. The commander of the unit wrote to the bereaved mother a letter of condolence, in which he said among other things: “You were an outstanding team leader, and your team was always the first in everything, both diligently and quickly, and precisely because of your superior qualities. Who have obeyed your orders wholeheartedly in times of peace and under fire, you have been able to organize the work of the team in an efficient and efficient way, thereby contributing to the tasks entrusted to us and bringing your officers to the level of excellence. Against the enemy, you have often been in an enemy bombardment And you were able to, until a shell hit you and fixed the thread of your life, while defending and helping your comrades who had encountered an enemy ambush.
