Mercy, Elijah

Ben Naima and David. He was born on May 14, 1941 in Rumdy, Iraq, to ​​his large and multi-children family, where he spent his early years in an elementary school in his hometown of Romadi, and in 1951 moved to the Gordon neighborhood in Rishon Letzion. At the beginning of March 1960, Eliyahu was drafted into the IDF and was assigned to the armored corps, where he served for three years. And during this period he was also trained as an ambulance driver. After his discharge from the IDF, he began working for a transport company, as a truck driver who brought raw material for paving roads in the south of the country, and in Eilat, Sodom and the Negev in 1968. In 1968, he married Bracha, and in 1972 he left the business and established his own business. In the beginning of January 1991, he was drafted into the reserves of the Haga and Shiri corps, In his capacity as an ambulance driver. On the 29th of Shvat 5751 (29.1.1991) he fell during his service. Elijah felt ill and collapsed beside his car, where he intended to return to his base. He was buried in the military cemetery in Rishon Letzion. Survived by his wife, four children – Ayelet, Jacob, Avishai and David and eight brothers and sisters – Naim, Ezra, Shlomo, Farcha, Fuad, Sarah, Yossi and Jacob. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “Elijah served in the unit as a driver for eight years, and he fulfilled his duties with dedication, diligence and perseverance worthy of mention.