Rachamim, Solomon
Shlomo, son of Rachel and Yechezkel, was born on 17 October 1944 in Baghdad, Iraq, and immigrated to Israel in 1951 with his father and nine brothers, and the family was sent to live in the southern Tira passageway. He sent Shlomo to the “Porat Yosef” youth aliyah institution in Jerusalem, where he studied for four years and then returned to live with his family, completing his studies at the elementary school in Tirat Hacarmel, and began working in the mornings. He grew up prematurely, and by the time he was fourteen he had become a man, and the sensitive boy could not stand by while the family was struggling to make a living. He felt a heavy responsibility for his parents and brothers and took advantage of every vacation to work, and did nothing wrong with any work, he worked in olive picking and any agricultural work that happened in the surrounding moshavim. He was very active in all sports, especially in light athletics and swimming, and participated in many competitions, and was also a lover of music and poetry. He had an excellent memory for the words and melodies of songs he had heard and at every opportunity he gave his voice tonight in song. He was very lively and would not sit idle for a moment. He devoted his spare time to carving wood. He studied framing and worked as a welder. In his place of work he became known as an industrious, dedicated and diligent worker. Shlomo was drafted into the IDF at the end of July 1961. After completing basic training, he was trained as a tank loader in the “Santorion” tank and assigned to serve in a tank unit, and at the end of 1964 he was discharged from the army, And so he continued to support his elderly parents and brother. When the Six Day War broke out, he was among the first to appear in his unit. In one of the battles, he was wounded and hospitalized in Beilinson hospital, but tried to conceal his injuries from his parents, so as not to be seen. After he recovered he decided to marry and set up a home in Israel and to save money went to work in the oil field in Abu-Rhodes. He loved the Sinai, Abu-Rhodes and the work there and wanted to share his experiences with others. Even after marrying his girlfriend Leah, he continued to work for a while in Abu-Rhodes, but his longing for home overcame him and he moved to Makorot. He immediately became absorbed in the new workplace, acquired friends and was highly regarded by his employers. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, he hurried to report to his unit, which was sent to participate in the battles in Sinai. In the battle against Ismailia on October 8, 1973, his tank was hit by a missile and Shlomo was killed. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Haifa. Survived by a wife, the eldest son born after his fall, named after him, parents, brothers and sister. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “Since joining the armored unit where he served until the day of his death, he was an industrious soldier dedicated to his role. The family commemorated his memory in a memorial plaque commemorating fallen soldiers of Israel, set in the “Elijah the Prophet” synagogue in Kiryat Sprinzak.
