Keplerwitz, Gennady

Son of Sophia and Michael. Born on May 18, 1975 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in the former Soviet Union, Gennady, the eldest son of a young engineer, grew up as a quiet, relaxed and educated child whose parents gave him great love and gave him all their attention As a young boy, Gennady liked to paint and ride a bicycle and read many books.Genadi studied at the elementary school in Minsk, and from early age developed many hobbies – at the age of six he began to study swimming, devoted a great deal of time to urban swimming competitions. In the school in Minsk, Gennady studied chess and dmke and excelled in them, and another hobby he developed in his youth was photography, in which he continued in Israel. At the age of fifteen, Gennady and his family immigrated to Israel and settled in Upper Nazareth, and his parents, who knew that the change during the life of an adolescent was not simple, sought the most suitable framework for him. In the studio, Gennady began studying at the Mossinzon boarding school in Hod Hasharon, where Gennady and his parents met after consulting with old friends, and for practical reasons: a chance of faster absorption in Israeli society and social ties, assimilation into Israeli culture, Judaism and Zionism. During his studies, Gennady stood out as a quiet and serious man who built himself a rich inner world thanks to his love for reading and his special interest in fantastic literature. Gennady was a member of a family that had a tradition of service in the Russian army – his two grandfathers served in the army during the Second World War and his father also served in the Russian army. Now it is his turn, and at the end of October 1993, Gennady enlisted in the IDF and served as a driver at the transport base, despite the difficulties in his service and his demanding role. His great love for books helped him during his military service, and he read many adventure and action books, and his friends in the service told him that he was a serious and wise man, an honest and principled man On Friday, March 8, 1995, Gennady fell during his service. He was twenty years old when he fell. He was laid to rest in the military section of the Nazareth Illit cemetery. Survived by his parents and a sister – Tatiana. Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak wrote to the family: “Gennady, of blessed memory, served as a truck driver at a transport base of the Northern Command’s Maintenance Corps, and was described by his commanders as a devoted and disciplined soldier who performed his duties to the best of his abilities and to the satisfaction of his commanders. “Gennady was always willing to contribute and help, and we saw him as a model for a dedicated, reliable and Ehud soldier who everyone around him wanted to be with.”