Mesika, Eitan (Nissim)

Ben Dina and Mordechai. Eitan was born in Tel Nof on September 10, 1961, on the eve of Rosh Hashana. Eitan attended the Ort high school in Lod and later at Beit Berl and the boarding school in Kibbutz Bahan. In his youth he was a member of the Scout movement. Eitan served in the Engineering Corps and fought in the Peace for Galilee War. After leaving the army he worked for a while at Ben-Gurion Airport. In 1983 he went on a trip to Europe, where he met Merlin, and they got engaged. In 1984 Eitan came to the United States and worked as a cook and Hebrew teacher, and there he married Merlin. The couple returned to Israel and lived in Ramat Hasharon. Then they built their home in Ma’ale Efrayim, because of their love for the expanses and the landscape. Over the years their three children, Yoni, Ben and Daniel were born. Eitan loved his family, his wife and children were his whole world. He was in daily contact with his parents and was very concerned about their safety. Eitan loved singing and used to write since he was a boy. Among other things, he edited a personal diary during the Peace for Galilee war, in which he described the events he experienced. Eitan used to write poems in which he described his thoughts and feelings. Eitan was a man of friends whom he loved to host in his warm home and was always the nail of the evening. He was the first volunteer in every field, and from his salary he regularly gave a tithe to charity. In 1987 Eitan joined the Israel Police and was a policeman at the police station in his community. On Friday, April 14, 1993, Eitan drove in his car from his home in Ma’aleh Ephraim to the center of the country. On the same day, the IDF set up two flying checkpoints to capture terrorists: At one of the checkpoints, soldiers accidentally fired at Eitan’s vehicle, killing two of the hitchhikers who were in his car, and shouting. He was buried at the military cemetery in Lod, leaving a wife and three children, parents and two sisters, in memory of Eitan, who was built at the entrance to Ma’aleh Efrayim, where he lives, a playground in his name, Eitan Garden. “The kindergarten, full of children and the sounds of their playfulness, symbolizes more than anything the joy of life, optimism and love of Eitan. Three years after Eitan’s death, his family published a collection of 60 songs, songs of emotion and love, as he wrote in one of his poems: “Sun, sea, love / a delicate life / describe. When you’re in love the world looks different / you feel a loving hand, your lips are clinging / the sun sends gentle rays / you feel your body touch / hold you strong / and know that you are mine. “