Kalai, Herzl

Benya Batya and Ovadia was born on July 4, 1951 in Jaffa, about three months after his parents immigrated from Iraq, the eldest son of Herzl in a Zionist family that immigrated to Israel. The family moved to Be’er Sheva, where he grew up and studied at the Achva Elementary School, where he continued to study for three years at the Beer-Sheba High School, and at the end of his high school studies in 12th grade he moved to the IAF Technical School . His hobby was the art of photography. He bought a small lab, and a lot of landscapes and characters that fascinated him. At the technical school Herzl excelled in his studies in the field of aircraft mechanics. He enlisted in the IDF as a helicopter engineer in June 1971. He joined several courses that promoted him with knowledge and rank, and in February 1972 he rose to the rank of rabbi ” ninth. In September 1973, he rose to the rank of sergeant. The opinion of his commanders was: “He is stable and comfortable, cooperative in society, efficient in his work, serious and investor, striving for advancement.” From June 1973, Herzl began serving in the permanent army. He studied and completed many vocational courses. In March 1975 Herzl rose to the rank of sergeant, and after one year rose to the rank of major sergeant. He aspired to academic studies beyond his professional field. At his request, he was admitted to the Department of Economics at son of-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva. When the Peace for Galilee War broke out, on the first day of the war, on the 26th of Sivan, 5762 (1982), a call came to his unit to rescue casualties from the village of Nabatiyeh. Herzl volunteered to leave with a rescue crew in the helicopter. Near Nabatiyeh, the helicopter was hit by terrorists and the entire crew, which numbered five soldiers, was killed. Among them was Herzl. He was 31 years old. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Be’er Sheva. Herzl left behind a wife, a seven-month-old boy, parents and two sisters. Prime Minister Menachem Begin wrote to his wife: “Your good man has sacrificed his life for an unjust and noble goal: to ensure life and peace for a man, a wife and a child in Israel … , In all generations, will remember him with great love. ” Defense Minister Ariel Sharon wrote to his family: “He was devoted to his job and his comrades in arms, and he was an outstanding professional, Herzl was loved by everyone.” As his direct commander in the short period before the war and as a member of the combat team on the first day of the fighting, I learned to appreciate his professional honesty, his approach The elderly and serious to work and his desire to volunteer for the most difficult tasks. ” One year after he fell, a pamphlet appeared in his memory, in which his friends and family raised his profile.