Jacob, Mordechai

Son of Shulamit and Haim, was born on August 15, 1958 in Rosh Ha’ayin. He was a member of a large family of children, who immigrated from Yemen in 1949. He studied at the Ohel Moshe elementary school in Rosh Ha’ayin and continued to study at a carpentry vocational school. Mordechai was a cheerful boy, strong in body and strong in spirit. At a young age he went to work, to help support his family. Was active in the town, was involved in social life and loved to help others. As a talented artist, he decorated the walls of the community center in Rosh Ha’ayin, and he strove to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers who served in the IDF in combat units. That’s why he practiced diligently to improve his physical fitness. In May 1976 he enlisted in the IDF and served in the Golani Brigade, where he underwent basic training and a leadership course, and served as a soldier in his unit, where he served as a machine gunner. In the summer of 1979 he was discharged from compulsory service and continued to serve in the reserves. He loved his unit and life in service. He painted Golani on the walls of his parents’ home, and even on his civilian shirt. With all his Lev he had something to do with what the brigade had imagined. When the Peace for Galilee War broke out and the call to action failed to reach him, he rushed to look for his unit, which was already mobilized and fought in Lebanon. He hitchhiked and found his friends who fought in the eastern sector. On the 17th of Sivan, 5762 (August 8, 1982), he was riding in an armored personnel carrier in the area between the Litani and the Hatzbani, and a shell that hit him hit him and killed him 23. He was laid to rest in the military section of the Rosh Ha’ayin cemetery, Four brothers and three sisters, and the Minister of Defense, Ariel Sharon, wrote in a letter of condolence to his family: “Corporal Yaakov Mordechai gave his life for his homeland, he fell near Harutz-el-Biir in Lebanon, he was a soldier in the infantry battalion. His unit and his friends in the service. The commander of his unit wrote: “Mordekhai fell as a combat soldier in the unit, who felt well the firing of the cannons on the finger of the Galilee and stood by the order to destroy them.