Neuman, Lavi

Lavi was born on October 7, 1951 to Zvia and Yoel. He studied at the “Itamar Ben Avi” elementary school and later graduated from Tchernichovsky High School. He was a cheerful young man who loved singing and excelling on the dance floor, and was a nature lover, traveling a lot and touring the country, and he loved to read Hebrew literature and poetry, and he always sought and found in every phenomenon the positive and the beautiful, and he was able to inspire a pleasant atmosphere around him. He participated in social activities within the framework of the movement, on trips and in labor camps, and was a member of the “Iron” nucleus, whose goal was to join the agricultural settlement. Lavi was drafted into the IDF at the end of July 1969 and joined the ranks of the paratroopers. After basic training, he completed a parachuting course and was authorized to wear a paratrooper’s wings. He completed his agricultural training course at the Nahal paramilitary brigade in Gesher, and later spent some time in Kibbutz Baram, where he successfully completed a course for squad commanders and participated with his unit in the battles of the War of Attrition. At the end of July 1972, Lavi was discharged from regular service and assigned to a reserve unit of the Armored Corps, after which he joined Kibbutz Sde Yoav in the northern Negev, At the same time, he strove to continue his studies and enrich his knowledge In the Yom Kippur War, his unit participated in the battles to contain and conquer the Egyptians in the Sinai and participated in the battles for the breakthrough to the Suez Canal and the elimination of Egyptian military strongholds west of the Suez Canal. On October 24, 1973, his unit attacked the city of Suez, hitting Lavi’s tank, killing him and bringing him to rest in the cemetery in Netanya, leaving behind his parents and two sisters. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the unit commander wrote: “Sergeant Lavi, of blessed memory, served in our unit as a tank crew and proved himself to be an excellent professional, courageous and dedicated. He was accepted and loved by the soldiers of the unit and stood out in his desire to help his comrades.” His comrades published a pamphlet containing the story of his battalion’s fighting in the Yom Kippur War.