Keynan (Kleinman), Uzi

Uzi, son of Esther and Chaim Eliezer, was born in Tel Aviv on June 13, 1943 and grew up in Ramat Gan. He studied at the “Aliyot” elementary school and the “Ohel Shem” high school and completed his studies at the Technion in Haifa as a chemical engineer. As a child, he stood out for his alertness and curiosity. As an adult, he returned and spoke with great love about his childhood in Ramat Gan: the trips through the sand dunes to the library, playing with a group of friends who lived in the same yard and accompanied him from kindergarten to the Technion. his friends remember the joy of life he had full of humor, but quiet and sophisticated. As a child and as a teenager he was curious to discover different interests: math games versus reading literature. Uzi was a member of the Ramat Gan Scouts troop, was very fond of sports, especially athletics and basketball, completed a training course in the Gadna Brigade and taught at the Gadna activities in his school, and was always very devoted and loyal to his parents, With a great sense of humor and an immense joy of life, Uzi was tall and broad-shouldered, and his gray eyes were in contrast to his black curls.
At the time of his enlistment in the IDF, Uzi was admitted to the Academic Reserve, as well as to an aviation course, and after much deliberation, he chose an academic degree and was certified as an engineer at the Technion in Haifa. He got married to his girlfriend Tirza at the time, and after his ordination as a chemist, he was drafted into the army and served in the Armored Corps. As part of the reserve, during his studies, he completed a course for infantry commanders and officers’ courses. After his induction, he underwent an officer training course, became commander of the “Centurion” tank with the rank of lieutenant. During his military service, he participated in retaliatory activities and pre-1967 combat activities. During the Six-Day War, he served as an assistant brigade commander in the 7th Brigade. After his discharge from the IDF, Uzi searched for a place of work where a professional interest and a pioneering challenge would be incorporated. On Monday, 8 October 1973, he was killed by a direct hit when he was fighting in a tank near El Al in the Golan Heights. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat-Shaul. He left behind a wife and two children, parents and a sister. Three months after his death, his son was born and was named after him. “Uzi was calm, and a deep man, which made the factory workers fond him even more, .” From a conversation of friends from Arad in his memory: “Uzi was all opposites. He was an intelligent, confident, and very shy guy, an aspiring man who loved and was used to winning – a man of such great potential who sometimes preferred to leave everything and sink into chess games, read about animals, understand scientific theories in different territories. The commonalities behind the facts, to get to the root of the matter quickly, the ability to abstract thought … “The laboratory of the Arad complex was named after Uzi after he fell