Mendler, Raphael-Yehuda

Raphael, son of Eva and Hans, was born on April 25, 1950, in Kiryat Yam, near Haifa, where he studied at the David Yellin Elementary School and then completed his studies at the Hugim High School in Haifa Rafi was a diligent and diligent student, who worked in various crafts and built and repaired electrical appliances and furniture on his own, and was a member of the Scouts movement and took part in various activities organized for the movement’s members. He always loved to travel in Israel, to wander around and discover interesting sites and places, and he was always optimistic, cheerful and Simcha, always willing to help others and be honest, according to his conscience. He was humble and did not meet the requirements, although he always aspired to achieve the best in life.Rafael was drafted into the IDF in early August 1968 and was sent to a pilot course in the air force. At the end of one of the stages of the course it was decided to transfer it to the armored corps. After basic training, he paid a course for tank commanders and was stationed in a unit that served on the front of the canal, in the Jordan Valley and on the northern border. Rafi was a responsible and dedicated soldier. He was an example of his friends in his good temper, his passivity and his obedience. During his entire service in the Israel Defense Forces, he tried not to worry about his family, often visited the house and made sure to write and phone the family. About a year later, he joined a production technician course at the Fertility Institute. A few months before the war, he married his girlfriend Hannah, a farm girl from Massada. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, he was sent to participate in the fighting in the Golan Heights. On October 12, 1973, while commanding a tank during the break-in at the purple line in the Golan Heights, he was hit by shelling and killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the Haifa cemetery. He left behind a wife and mother. After his fall, he was promoted to First Sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his friend wrote to the unit: “I was Simcha at his wedding a few months ago, and it was not long before we were forced into this difficult war, in which he died, For a long time, he was willing to give millions so that Rafi would serve in his company, indeed, these words say more than anything. “