Ohana, Jacob

Son of Janet and Shlomo. He was born on July 15, 1968 in Bat Yam. Jacob was the only child among the four children of the Ohana family. He studied at the Harel religious elementary school in Bat Yam and continued in the religious-technological high school in Bat Yam in the electronics and electricity track. As a child, Jacob was a great mischievous man. There was a noticeable change in him when he began high school. He became a mature and sharp boy, diligent in learning and loving them. Yaakov completed his technological high school successfully, with a matriculation certificate and an electrician. In his youth Jacob loved sports activities very much. He used to exercise long hours, and before enlisting in the army, he ran the streets of Bat Yam to improve his abilities. He had had another hobby since his childhood – building airplane models. He would purchase Air Force magazines himself and assemble aircraft according to the models in them. Jacob had a warm and loving relationship with his parents and three sisters. After his death, his sister wrote: “My younger brother, where did you go?” And I did not take you with me, alone, and he saw me here. Yaakov enlisted in the IDF in November 1986, volunteered for a combat unit and was assigned to Golani, and a few months after completing his basic training, he went on a squad commanders’ course. He was then transferred to the company and sent to the combat paramedics course. Yaakov completed the course successfully, returned to his unit and became a company medic. Jacob was a good soldier and loved by his commanders and friends. On the 20th of Kislev 5749 (20.11.1988) Sergeant Ya’akov Ohana fell in the line of duty. In a fatal road accident that took place from the Ras-Biyada outpost in Lebanon to Rosh Hanikra, an armored personnel carrier moved off the road at one of the road’s curves, a gashron railing broke into an abyss about five meters deep. He was killed and the other passengers were wounded. Yaakov was twenty years old when he died. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Holon. In a letter of condolence sent by the commander of the unit to the grieving family, it was said: “The company, of which Jacob was among the best fighters, lost a dear friend who proved himself both in his high professional level as a medic and at the level of friendship he displayed toward his comrades throughout his career in the company.” Jacob left behind his parents, and three sisters – Ricky, Dalia and Tami.