Kavodi, Menahem (Edmond)

Menachem, son of Zakia and Shalom, was born on April 14, 1944 in Turkey and immigrated to Israel with his family that year. He attended the “Diskin” religious elementary school in Jerusalem, where he grew up and was educated in a boarding school. After completing his studies at the Chabad-Lubavitch High School in Lod, when Menachem son of Chelouche passed away, his father was forced to adapt to the new conditions, Menahem was forced to leave the house and go to study in boarding school until his seventeen years of age and decided to stop his studies and enlist in the IDF. Menahem was drafted into the IDF in early November 1961. He was assigned to the Artillery Corps, and after basic training he was trained as a half-track driver and served as a heavy-duty mortar driver. During his regular service, he took part in the artillery operations and took part in the retaliatory action in Nukeib. At the end of April 1964, Menahem was released from regular service and assigned to a reserve unit of the Artillery Corps. In this unit he was called for periods of reserve duty and participated in the battles of the Six-Day War. He took part in the battles to conquer Gush Etzion, Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus. His friends told him that he was a dedicated and loyal soldier, and accepted by his friends and commanders, for his kindness and willingness to help every member of the armed forces. After the liberation he worked as a driver and as a mechanical locksmith, and finally he set up a laundry and ran a branch for the reception and delivery of laundry. He married his girlfriend Varda, and together with him established his home in Ramat Gan. In September 1967 his daughter Adina was born. Menachem divided his time between work and family. As a person whose life in Israel began under conditions of distress, he knew that he had to work hard to support his family and to establish his status. He worked long hours until he and his wife managed to buy an apartment and together made it a warm and open house for their friends and acquaintances. He loved his family and spent a lot of time with her, spending long hours with his wife and having fun with his little daughter. In his spare time playing sports, he was an outstanding soccer player and loved to watch soccer competitions. Menahem loved his homeland and his people. In his letters during periods of service in the reserves and during the Six-Day War, his great concern for the fate of the people and the state is evident. He was worried about his fellow fighters and his fall in the battle of comrades-in-arms caused him deep depression. During the Yom Kippur War, his unit participated in the battles of containment and infiltration against the Egyptians in the Sinai, where he served as a half-track driver and an ammunition carrier, on October 13, 1973. He was killed in enemy attack and killed. A letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the unit commander wrote: “Edmund was one of those brave drivers who drove the ammunition trucks under fire and brought the shells, which were so vital In a battle to contain the enemy. We, his friends, will never forget Edmund and our other soldiers, who fell in this difficult war. “