Ben Tova and Gabriel. Born on 15 March 1978 in Jerusalem, a younger brother to Nir, Shai grew up in Moshav Beit Zayit, west of Jerusalem, attended the Ein Harim Elementary School in the Ein Kerem neighborhood of Jerusalem, and continued to the Ein Kerem Comprehensive High School Graduated 12th grade in environmental studies. When he was in third grade, he joined the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed movement and was a member of the Beit Zayit branch of the Bnei Tzivim division. From ninth grade to the end of his high school studies, he worked as a counselor in the kibbutz. He invested endlessly in his apprenticeship and activities, and even after he joined the army he maintained contact with the movement and helped the activists in the nest at every opportunity. Shai was an outstanding athlete. His greatest love was basketball, both as a spectator and as an actor. He played for the Hapoel Jerusalem youth team and throughout his high school years played for the Hapoel Mateh Yehuda team. He watched the league games and the NBA games very carefully and especially followed the achievements of his favorite Maccabi Tel Aviv team in Israel and in the European League. Shai was also an excellent swimmer and together with his father and his brother, he crossed the Sea of Galilee many times. During his childhood and adolescence he underwent an inseparable part of a group of his contemporaries, from Beit Zayit and from Matza Matza, a cohesive group whose members maintained a warm and close relationship. He liked to entertain his friends and organize parties on birthdays, weekends, and holidays. The family member described Shai: “He is happy to the end, sensitive to others and his problems, his ear is always attentive to him and his words are always encouraging words. Shai played the guitar and loved old Hebrew songs. His friend, Michal, said: “A person who enjoys the good things in life – the songs, the performances, the walks, the movies … one who always has a smile on his face and a supportive sentence to tell friends.” At the end of July 1996 Shai enlisted in the IDF and, as expected, volunteered for the Paratroopers, following his brother who served in the Paratroopers Brigade, with the image of his uncle, who was killed in 1990 while serving as a parachutist. He was a commanding officer and a personal sergeant. He was replaced by a commander who was hit and commanded as a squad commander, followed by a course for sergeants and a sergeant course, served in various command and training positions and completed three years of service as a sergeant. “Shai’s volunteer service to the Paratroopers Brigade was not coincidental,” his commander, Colonel Pinky, wrote to the family, “The responsibility, diligence, determination, initiative and desire to succeed have brought Shai to our ranks. For the residents of the State of Israel. ” Shai loved army service, spoke enthusiastically about it during vacations and even persuaded friends to follow in his footsteps. Naftali, a member of the army, told the family: “Your son was a ‘salt of the earth’, even in terms of the ideals of defending the homeland, both morally and in terms of attitude toward friends and commands … I learned from my heart what it is to give to others without expecting to get back, , I learned what love is for a person wherever he is and learned what forgiveness is, even when a person has done him harm. ” When he was released, Shai traveled for a short trip to the United States. On his return, he worked in a production company. Later he worked as a bodyguard and team leader at the Pi Glilot fuel tank farm in Jerusalem. In addition, he served as a security guard at the Gil Cinema in Mevasseret Zion, and as if that were not enough, he volunteered for the Matmidim unit (volunteers in uniform). As part of the unit, he carried out various reconnaissance and security tasks at Beit Zayit and the surrounding area At the end of April 2001 Shay was called to reserve duty, from which he did not return. On May 5, 2001, Shai was killed in a training accident near Tze’elim and he was a boyTwenty-three. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Survived by his parents and brother. “The position of Shai in the ranks of the battalion’s fighters and commanders is not coincidental, the smile, the bright face, the humor and the sense of humor that Shai revealed to his friends attested to fit with the battalion’s human tissue. … Dear family, From my brief acquaintance with you, I learned that the special and exceptional education that Shai received in your home brought him to the path he chose. , Devoted and loved by the environment, were proud of it. ” Rachel, Shay’s close friend, eulogized him: “My beloved Shay, it’s a little difficult and strange to write nice words about you for eulogy, because eulogy is for those who died, and you are not dead for us, you are here in the heart, soul and eyes of all of us … I want you to remember that we are all here , Your whole family, look at the plot of land and do not want to believe that it is now your home, because your home is in an olive house by the pool, and your room will always wait for you, and I will be there with open arms … “‘Ali Zayt’ , Was dedicated in May 2001 to the memory of Shai. The pictures tell the friends about a gift they knew and loved. “Dear brothers and friends of the soul, I can not remember a single childhood experience without you … I feel lucky,” wrote Erez, a friend: “May the armies of the angels open the gates of heaven to you and rub a soldier in their ranks. I am sure that God is taking the good ones, and I and the rest of the people of Israel need to feel safe, Because you joined the army of angels. ” To commemorate Shai, he was called the Border Police base at Beit Zayit, where he volunteered regularly in the framework of the Matmidim, after him.
