Madar, Isaac-Hezekiah

Son of Rebbetzin Feudora and Rabbi Yaakov, was born on September 29, 1959, in Sfax, Tunisia. His father, Rabbi Yaakov, was born in Tunis, studied in yeshivas and the rabbinical seminary in Paris and was crowned rabbi in France. His mother, who was born in Germany, and her parents perished in the Holocaust. When he was one year old, Yitzhak-Hezekiah’s parents moved to France and his father was appointed rabbi in the suburbs of Paris. From there, the father was called to serve as rabbi in Paris and as a member of the Court of Paris, during which he was appointed Chief Rabbi of France. In this capacity, Rabbi Yaakov made many contributions, including the organization of all the Rabbis of the French armies to study in the yeshiva and in the beit midrash, which was held by the Chief Military Rabbinate. A seminar that strengthened the connection between the rabbis of France and the rabbinate in Israel. Yitzhak received a religious-Jewish education both at home and in the Jewish school where he studied. He was fluent in Hebrew and was educated in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, which he joined at a very young age. In the course of time, Yitzhak dealt with this movement and contributed greatly to Jewish youth in France. Yitzhak continued his high school studies in Montreux, Switzerland, at the Etz Chaim yeshiva. His course was religious and Zionist, and many of those who graduated from Yeshivat Etz Chaim immigrated to Israel. After completing his studies in August 1977, he embarked on a year of training in Israel, on the kibbutz Ein HaNatziv of Hapoel Hamizrachi in the Beit She’an Valley, and was adopted by a family that adopted his older brother when he was a year of training in Israel He joined the kibbutz and the “adoptive” family, worked in the cowshed and was Simcha with his work, and took part in seminars, trips, and became familiar with the country and his life. He completed his basic training course, completed a commanding officer’s course, and rose to the rank of corporal. Afterward, Yitzhak went on a mission to France as a guide to training youth for aliyah. He married in France and immigrated to Israel in September 1981. He lived in the “Milman House” in Ramat Aviv in Tel Aviv. During this period Yitzhak studied mathematics and computers at Tel Aviv University. He was a diligent student, loved to read and devoted a lot of time to reading about the Holocaust. By nature he was moderate in his opinions, modest, disdainful of any kind of extremism. And in his moderate way, Yitzhak had a great deal of influence on the immigrant youth he led. When the Peace for Galilee war broke out, Yitzhak was called up for reserve duty. He fought in the eastern sector of Lebanon and advanced to the Bekaa valley. On June 10, 1983, near the village of Libia, his unit was bombed by planes and Yitzhak was wounded by mortal wounds. He was 22 years old when he died. The commander of his unit wrote to his parents: “Yitzhak fell as a combat soldier in the unit, who felt the guns fired at the Galilee, and served faithfully and devotedly as part of the unit in which he saw his mission as a reserve soldier.” Yitzhak was laid to rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. He left behind a wife, parents, two brothers and a sister.