Kunda, Chaim

Haim, son of Rachel (nee Hermoni) and Zalman, was born on March 22, 1951 in Tel Aviv. He completed his elementary studies at the AD Gordon School in Tel Aviv and continued to attend the Ironi High School. From his youth he was a leader among his friends and the living spirit in his company, a loyal friend and a favorite of his teachers. Haim was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed movement, the movement and the education community at home, and outlined his future path. In the movement’s nest Chaim was responsible for the cultural room, he was amazing to draw, and his handwriting was very Yaffa. He was considered one of the best instructors, because he believed wholeheartedly in the Torah that he had beaten his pupils. When the demolition of the structure of the nest was discussed, Haim organized the resistance to the demolition. Haim was an excellent athlete and took part in sports events within the framework of the youth movement and in the framework of the school and the Gadna, during which he volunteered to work in the post office and spent nights working tirelessly in the telegram. He traveled to Israel with friends, and from the early years of his life he loved plants and animals, and he was the initiator and organizer of many trips and in the framework of the Gadna he passed a course for squad commanders. The many activities that operated outside the framework of his studies did not prevent him from successfully passing exams. He also received a driver’s license after only six lessons. Haim was drafted into the IDF in late 1969, and out of loyalty to his principles he joined the Nahal Brigade in Kibbutz Amiad. He went through basic training and a parachute course, then took a course in squad commanders and in the Cargo Command course, which ended with very high grades. At the time, he decided to request a transfer to the naval commando unit, out of his desire to deal with challenges in the IDF, and because of his tremendous energy he did not find satisfaction in the Nahal, and therefore pressed his commanders to approve his transfer. The instruction to come to the tests came when he was in an officer’s course, and he finished with a high grade. Haim remained in the officers’ school as a guide. He extended his service in the IDF under permanent conditions, and from here the “Kunda Legend” began, expressed in the rave opinions of his commanders and the tremendous affection and respect of his apprentices and subordinates: “He has extraordinary initiative and energy and takes care of his soldiers with great loyalty; “He is devoted to his work in an extraordinary, serious, professional and personal example.” His commanders always indicated that they would prefer Haim to any other officer, and in August 1973 he was sent to a company commander’s course. The book “Masada”, which was received as a gift from its commanders, contains a dedication: “The Book of Legends to the Legendary Man”. On the question “Commander what?” Haim replied: “… the soldier must be the best fighter in his department … to demand from his soldiers things that he has done and himself … to know how to treat soldiers as individuals in a way that serves the rule. “He said. And Haim was not only handsome, but very handsome. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, the activities of the squad commanders’ course were suspended and Haim was sent to Sinai as a company commander, with his Nahal battalion. As a company commander he participated in the terrible battles for three weeks of fighting and even crossed the canal. On October 25, 1973, he was killed near Fayed. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. Survived by his parents and brother. After his fall, he was promoted to captain. In a letter of condolences to the bereaved family, the Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, wrote: “Please allow me to participate with all my Lev in your mourn. The late Captain Chaim Kunda gave his life for his homeland, he served in the infantry and was a graduate of courses for infantry officers, commanders of infantry companies, and a parachuting course.As an officer with the ability, dedicated, disciplined, entrepreneurial, who serves as a personal example of his subordinates and is loved by them. The memory of the late Captain Chaim Kunda is holy and we were deeply rooted in our hearts.