Manchik, Jerzy-Ya’akov

Jerzy (Jacob, Kobi), son of Regina and Wolf, was born on February 29, 1953 in Wroclaw, Poland, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1957. He studied at the elementary school in Karkur, – Regional high school in Pardes-Chana, in the real-world track, and continued his studies for one year at the IAF Technical High School. Then he studied in the evening, the last year of his studies at the external school in Hadera. Jerzy was a good student and excelled in geography. His teacher at the elementary school said that he was “very alert, quick-paced and loved to learn, and was evident from his friends in his developed sense of justice.” And his teacher wrote: “While he was working, he was completely immersed in his work, and his works were made with great care.” He had many hobbies. He read a lot in various fields and participated in study groups on psychology and astronomy. For a while he took a guitar and loved to sing and listen to music – pop music, underground music and classical music. He was one of the members of the elementary school choir. In his spare time, he was busy planning houses and buildings and sketching them. Jerzy was a sports fan. He was one of the members of the basketball team of Hapoel Karkur and later of the Karkur handball team. He was also an avid fan of football. He was a member of the Hashomer Hatza’ir movement and was a trainee in the Gadna, and he liked to travel by car and foot and enjoy the country’s landscapes. He was sociable and easy to make friends, willing to help a friend in a time of trouble, a word of encouragement and advice, generously and generously, and Jerzy was a devoted son of his family and worked hard to finance his studies so as not to burden his parents Jerzy was drafted into the IDF in mid-May 1972 and volunteered for the Haruv reconnaissance unit. After basic training, he took a parachuting course and a course for infantry commanders. This course was completed with honors and was intended to be completed in an officers’ course. His comrades in the commando unit said that he was a good person, a good friend and a good soldier. He was responsible and fulfilled every task and task entrusted to him with great devotion and loyalty. He was awarded the Operational Service Award for his part in operational activities. In the Yom Kippur War, Jerzy participated in the braking battles against the Egyptians on the Sinai front and in the invasion of Egyptian soil. On October 24, 1973, Jerzy fell in a battle near the city of Suez. For four consecutive days, his unit engaged in many rescue operations beyond the Canal, while conducting difficult battles with enemy units. On the fourth day, the unit was ordered to rescue paratroopers from the city of Suez, and Jerzy came out in the first half-track in the convoy of half-tracks. On the way back to the battalion, when he stood erect in the half-track to locate enemy soldiers and injure them, Jerzy was shot and killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Karkur. He was survived by a father, mother, brother, and two sisters. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. His parents, with the assistance of the Defense Ministry, set up a regional high school club in his memory and set up a plaque commemorating his name in the synagogue in Karkur.