Klein, Ephraim

Ephraim, son of Miriam and Pinchas, was born on 6.11.1937 in Stephens, Romania. He immigrated to Israel in 1949, was a member of Youth Aliyah and attended elementary school and high school in Yifat. Ephraim’s childhood memories were connected to the horrors of the war and the concentration camps. During World War II he wandered with his father from village to village until they were caught by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp. The son and his father survived and immigrated to Israel. Ephraim spent the first few years of his studies as part of the Youth Aliyah organization in Kibbutz Gvat in the Sharon region. Afterward, the family moved to Yifat, where he studied until he enlisted in the IDF, and was a diligent member of the Hanoar Haoved movement, active in the Gadna and active in social activities. In the farm he was a work organizer and organized summer camps and trips for children during the holidays. He devoted much of his spare time to collecting stamps and was considered an enthusiastic stamp collector. Ephraim was drafted into the IDF in mid-December 1955 and volunteered to serve in the Nahal Brigade, as part of a seed trained in the Yifat farm. After completing his compulsory army service, Ephraim married his girlfriend Tamar and established his home in Alumot, where the family moved to Kibbutz Degania B. In the kibbutz life, the kibbutz was one of the most active in agriculture In the Six Day War, he fought with his unit, which made its way to Jerusalem via Latrun and Ramallah. After the conquest of Jerusalem he fought with the parachute force, which was placed in the Syrian rear on the Golan Heights and completed its conquest. On the 16th of Tishrei 5734 (12 October 1973) he was injured and killed by a direct hit to his half-track, while purifying the Syrian village of Khan Arnava. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Degania Bet. He left behind a father, a wife and three sons who continue his life. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote that Ephraim was a devoted soldier and a loyal friend, fond of his commanders and comrades-in-arms.