Kalish, Yaakov

Yaakov, son of Deborah and Joseph, was born in Ramla on December 1, 1951. He studied at Ariel Elementary School and at the Ramle-Lod High School and was considered an outstanding student, diligent and industrious. He has been a frequent reader of various scientific publications and journals dealing with aviation and military affairs, and he liked to paint and to visit exhibitions of painters and sculptors, and he was active in sports and watched football and basketball. He had many friends and was very attached to his family, and Yaakov was drafted into the IDF in mid-February 1970 and assigned to the Armored Corps. He was a dedicated and responsible soldier and completed all courses as an outstanding trainee. He spent most of his regular service in the Suez Canal as a tank crew member. After being released from the service, he was enrolled and accepted to study at the economics faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served in the reserves in a tank unit, where he and his crew received a certificate of excellence as ‘the outstanding tank crew’. During his studies he worked in the evenings at the Tadiran factory and studied computer theory. In the Yom Kippur War, Yaakov fought as a tank crew member in an armored brigade that participated in the battle against the Egyptians on the Suez Canal. He participated in the counter-attack on the “TV” hill, in which bitter battles took place, in the battles for breaking into the Canal and in the battles of the “agricultural buffer” west of the Canal. Yaakovwas killed and killed during an armored battle that took place near Ismailia on the 26th of Tishrei 5734 (October 22, 1973). He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. Survived by his parents and sister. After his fall, he was promoted to First Sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote that Yaakov’s actions and perseverance in the war served as a source of strength for his comrades in the unit. Yaakov was loved and accepted by his friends and commanders.