Ben May (Sarah Leah) and Yosef Binyamin. Born on July 22, 1961 in London, England, to a South African mother and a fourth-generation father in Israel, his parents met on a passenger ship and married in Britain When David was three months old, David returned to Israel with his parents, Where his grandfather and grandmother lived, and because of the work of his father, a chief mechanic at Zim, David grew up on ships and wandered around the world, and at the age of five his family settled in Haifa. Life, but to tell the truth, he had a cat in his heart, and from the very beginning of his life he was accompanied by the family’s pets – a cocker-spaniel and a cat. David went to live in his hometown of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he continued his studies at the Teodor Herzl Jewish school in Port Elizabeth and during the vacations continued to sail with his father throughout the world. He was a graduate of the Woodridge School where he was educated in British schools and took an active part in Tuwakundo, horseback riding, drama and chess, and he loved to read science fiction and amateur photography. Throughout his studies he excelled in the sciences and was awarded honorary degrees. He was among the top ten science students in all of South Africa for a number of years and at the age of sixteen he was elected to represent South Africa at the International Science Olympiad in England. During his last year of studies, he was in charge of the dormitories of the elementary school students. The director of his school wrote: “David always gave his best, revealed leadership qualities and developed responsibility toward the students under his responsibility.” David grew up to be a loyal, reliable, well-to-do, and well-developed social conscience. At the age of sixteen, on one of their joint voyages, David received a motorcycle from his father. Since then, he has always been riding a motorbike or another, but he is mostly attracted to road motorcycles. After completing his studies, he went on a backpacking trip to Europe. When he returned to South Africa he moved to Cape Town and enrolled in the local university. Even as a student, David was in charge of dormitories. He graduated with honors in biochemistry and continued his intermediate degree in science. At the age of twenty-five, in the midst of his work, studies, and relationship, David decided that he wanted to establish a Jewish family in Israel. He immigrated to Israel as a returning resident, moved to live near his father in Haifa and studied at the Technion. At the time of his immigration he wanted to enlist, but he encountered difficulties due to a flaw that was revealed in his heart – a heart of too large a size. At the end of a two-year process, he volunteered at the end of November 1991 for the air force. At first he served as an academic officer, but later on he passed an officers’ course. In the spring of 1993 he began his career. David served in an air maintenance unit, specialized in quality engineering. In his last position, he was the commander of a naval examination unit in the field of materials. In 1996, after two years of acquaintance, David married his son Ilana. In 1998, a few months before the birth of his eldest son, David underwent open-heart surgery. Despite his health problems, he broadcast “business as usual” and behaved as if his problems were obvious and soon returned to full activity. Two sons and a daughter were born to David and Ilana – Yonatan, who was born in 1998, Yuval was born in 2001 and Noa, the youngest daughter, was born in 2003. David was a pampering and involved husband. He could often be found with a baby on his chest and a book in his hand. The children and the family were always in first place. In 2003 David’s father died of cancer and a year later he was diagnosed with cancerAnd himself as a malignant disease. Throughout the period of his illness, he was in a state of deep concern: he studied the disease but remained optimistic and was confident that he would win the cancer. Above all, he wanted to return to work in the Air Maintenance Unit and continued to be on the pulse of the professional field. The members of the unit and its commanders called it by various nicknames – David, David, Dave or Dudik – served as a point of light and a supportive and significant support. Major David Karsenty died on 29 November 2005 after a stubborn struggle with his severe illness. He was forty-four when he died. The day after his death he was laid to rest in the military section of the Mazkeret Batya cemetery. Survived by a wife, two sons and a daughter. David’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Itzik, commander of the field of materials science and engineering, eulogized him: “An English gentleman in the Air Force uniform, a good man who always wanted to help. We are all in the proud unit who was our friend. He fought the disease admirably and was a symbol of uncompromising struggle for us. “It was very easy to locate David everywhere because he was tall and broad, with blue eyes, fair skin and a relaxed expression, mostly smiling or enthusiastic, full of faith. David had a desire to get to the bottom of every problem, to study it thoroughly and to come up with new and effective solutions for the well-being of all sides. Early – grows body and floor but speaks with everyone at eye level, delicate and sensitive to His father was a descendant of a family that was a fourth generation in Israel, but despite his British education he lived in Israel by choice, as a proud Israeli, and throughout his life, despite the difficulties and challenges imposed on him, Life and choice, and personal responsibility for his actions and his environment, which constitutes his will to his family and friends, as he put it in his own words: “To choose life. Our lives are made up of our choices and we must take responsibility for them and move on. We are only responsible for our choices and we must respect the choices of others. Each of us is part of the environment in which he lives, and he must contribute to it as best he can. “
