Ozeri, Bezalel

Son of Avraham and Esther. He was born on January 1, 1948 in Ra’anana. When he arrived at school, he studied at the Yavneh School. Even at a young age he learned to read according to the reasons of the Bible; His father worked to guide him in this reading and there was no end to the father’s joy when Bezalel went up to the Torah every Sabbath and pleaded with his voice to read to the enjoyment of all his listeners. After graduating from elementary school, he studied at the Moreshet High School in Kfar Saba. He proved himself to be a gifted student who excelled in his studies. He was also very active in the social life of his class. He was a classmate, loved to organize parties, trips and other social events. Otherwise he enjoyed his artistic work. He was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed movement. He was very fond of sports and especially of football. He would also take advantage of his leisure hours to pursue in-depth training in the profession he chose, that is, the profession of electricity. He worked diligently in this profession and succeeded, but the period in which he worked was short, since he was drafted into the IDF in November 1965. In the IDF, Bezalel found an opportunity to advance in his profession and was given the opportunity to undergo several very difficult courses. His diligence and will helped him overcome the obstacles and after a few months of intensive study he was Simcha. He served in the navy, and he says he was forced to give up on other courses, because he was sent to England (to Portsmouth) to join the submarine squadron and become a member of the Dakar. As a diver, he was ordained in March 1967. When he was abroad, he wrote to the family and told of his longing for home and country; In particular, he lacks the special holiday atmosphere of the country. In one of his letters he even wrote about his plans; He knew what he was going to do in the coming days; He wanted to serve in the permanent army and he was aware of the stages of his progress. But death had preceded him only by his first steps in the building of his future, for when the submarine was on its way home, at the end of the renovation work, the bond had been severed and not renewed again; This was on the 24th of Tevet 5728 (25.1.1968), when the submarine was in the sea route between Gibraltar and the port. The Chief Military Rabbinate determined that the date of the death of Bezalel, in the course of his duties together with the rest, was on January 31, 1968. Since Bezalel was one of the missing members of the team, a memorial monument was placed inside him in the memorial to the Dakar men in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. His picture was presented in Eran Shorer’s book “Six in Decker” and his name was also immortalized. It was also mentioned in a booklet issued by the Raanana Local Council. On the 28th of June 1999, after years of searching, the INS Dakar submarine was found on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, at a depth of 2,900 meters on its planned sailing route and 250 miles from the port of Haifa. Burial place is unknown.