Nagar, Yechiel

Yechiel, son of Kochva and Shalom, was born on the 20th of Tishrei 5734 (September 20, 1953) in the Kfar Aryeh neighborhood of Rishon Letzion. He studied at the “HaRoeh” elementary school in Rishon Letzion, and later went on to study in the yeshiva high school in Kfar Haroeh. Yechiel was the eldest son of a large family, and at school he was an outstanding student. He was also a member of a youth group in Bnei Brak. When he studied at a boarding school in Kfar Haroeh, he was very fond of experimenting in the laboratory, and he also had tools for experimenting and research in his home. Yehiel was easily absorbed in every society; He loved a company of people and many liked him, for it was pleasant to be with him. He was quiet and modest, intelligent and rational. He was very responsible, and he never did anything without thinking and examining him on all sides. Though he was an adult, his spirit was young and he had a playful, boyish smile. He liked to hang out and enjoy life. Yechiel was a loyal friend, interested in every friend of his friends, always trying to help and encourage and never hurt anyone. When one of his schoolmates accused him of a negative act, Yechiel was ready to defend him to the point of being blamed. He liked to dress well and in his neighborhood they called him “Don Juan of the area.” Yehiel took care of his family and respected his parents. When he was injured in an army accident, he did not want to worry his family or tell them that he had been in the hospital. He treated his brothers and sisters very fondly. He and his older sister were in close contact and he took her with him on trips and guarded her. He had always wanted to study pharmacy or medicine and wanted to engage in biological research. Yechiel was drafted into the IDF in early August 1972 and assigned to the Armored Corps, and after training he was appointed as a Kravai Haram, and after another course he was trained as a Patton tank driver. Finally, he took a tank course and was assigned to the Armored Corps in the south of the country as a liaison officer in the tank. His commanders saw him as a devoted soldier and a loyal friend. Before the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yechiel was on vacation, and on the eve of Yom Kippur he was called from his home and joined his unit in Sinai. On October 7, 1973, when an attempt was made to repel an attack by the Egyptians in the southern sector of the Suez Canal, in the vicinity of Maoz Lituf, his tank was hit by a missile and Yehiel was hit and killed. At first he was considered missing, but his body was found and returned from the territory occupied by the Egyptians four months later. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Rishon Letzion. Survived by his parents, seven brothers and six sisters. After his fall, he was promoted to corporal.