Negoshbar, Shimon (Shimaleh)

Shimon was born in 1924 in Ostrow Mazowieck, Poland, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1949. He first studied in the “cheder”, since his parents were careful to follow tradition. He began his studies in a Polish school and was forced to bear the contempt and hatred of the Polish students in 1939. In 1939 the Nazi armies invaded Poland and the mother of the family was imprisoned in one of the ghettos and killed there. The father and his children wandered all over Russia until they reached Siberia, then went to Uzbekistan, where Shimon continued his studies and bore the burden of supporting the family, and after the war the family returned to Poland. Shimon joined the Youth Aliyah Organization. Shimon was drafted into the IDF mid January, 1949, shortly after he immigrated to Israel. During the War of Independence he fought in the south, in the Negev Brigade. Shimon was very friendly and easy to make friends. Many friends bought while driving with his fuel tank across the country and knew its sights and sites. He was always willing to help others, even at the expense of his time and comfort, and whatever he did, he did with love and will. He was cheerful and happy, full of optimism and gifted with a sense of humor. He was very kind, welcoming, and his pleasant hospitality was a good thing among his friends. In 1951 he married his girlfriend Miriam. He was very devoted to his family, a husband loyal to his wife and a loving father to his daughters. During Operation Kadesh, he was stationed on the northern border to advance war. During the Six-Day War he fought in the occupation of Jenin. In 1970, Shimon was appointed to the Haganah and took part in a course for handicapped men and a course for assistant mechanics, and was awarded the “Six Day War.” When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Shimon volunteered to serve in one of the companies transporting fuel to the army camps in the Golan Heights and in Sinai, carrying out all the tasks that were imposed on him, and spent nights and nights on roads and remote places. On November 16, 1973, passing by the town of Tzemach in the Jordan Valley, he had a heart attack and died, and was brought to eternal rest in the Haifa cemetery, leaving behind a wife and two daughters, a father, two brothers and a sister. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “Shimon fulfilled his role with honors and served as a personal example to his friends. Dedicated, loyal, responsible and willing to help anyone at any time. He was one of the heroes of the IDF’s bravery chain, and thanks to many of us we have won life. “