Reuben Eretz-Kedusha

Reuven, son of Esther and Yitzhak, one of the first settlers in the Negev capital, was born on September 9, 1953, in Be’er Sheva. He studied at the “Achva” elementary school and later studied at the vocational school “Amel Chnichim” in the field of electricity. Reuven was a quiet and comfortable child and grew up to be a solid, self-confident boy. He was a diligent student and excelled in both his academic and vocational studies. Having “right-handed hands”, his work was precise and Yaffa, and every task he took upon himself was easy and quick. His easy nature and calm had acquired many friends. His friends were used to seeing him always smiling. He used to speak quietly and with inner confidence and persuasive power, and all saw themselves as having to listen to him and hear his words. Reuven was a devoted and loving son to his large family. He loved his father and mother very much and was very careful in their honor. Although he was the means between his sisters and brothers, he was the dominant among them and everyone loved him and respected his views. His sister’s two songs are testimony to the love and admiration of his family. All his movements, smiles and reactions were full of health and youthfulness. Many of his mental powers, as if to break out of him, had invested in his hobby of childhood-riding horses. Riding gave him new spaces. He spent almost all his spare time in the horse ranch, riding a lot, but also taking care of the horses with loyalty and expertise. In time he became a great connoisseur of horse affairs and was very proud of his knowledge. Among his outstanding qualities, his desire to help people was particularly conspicuous. He was a volunteer by nature. He never waited until they asked for his help. In his sensitivity to the suffering of others, he always knew how to give the necessary help in the right place at the right time. His Lev was filled with love for man and faith in the goodness of human beings. Many friends who felt the power radiating from his personality, were not afraid to open their hearts to him and told him their deepest secrets and the most painful. He could always listen, console, cheer or joke. No wonder many loved him and could not forget him for many years. Reuven was drafted into the IDF in early February 1972 and volunteered for the Paratroopers Brigade, and he was highly endowed with excellent physical fitness and was therefore successful in completing basic training, thanks to his success. And he became one of the outstanding commanders in his battalion, and friends say that he took his position very seriously and immersed himself in training in an attempt to further improve his ability to hit various targets. His commanders regarded him as a disciplined soldier who carried out his duties with precision and efficiency He has never been complaining about the difficulties in training, and on the contrary, he has always encouraged his friends, who had difficulty in training, and it was he who always appeared with a smile on his lips when you faced a “break” In the battle of the Yom Kippur War, ReuSon of took part in the braking battles against the Egyptians in the central Sinai region, while he was injured during training near the outbreak of the war and was sent home to rest, but immediately upon his siren he quickly put on his uniform and joined his unit. He managed to convince his platoon commander that “he does not need legs on a jeep” and joined his commander’s commanding officer in the direction of his direction, in which he excelled so well.That, on October 15, 1973, And with great bravery in an Egyptian armored column, moving toward our forces, then he proved his full potential and succeeded in destroying an entire column of Egyptian tanks. During this battle, his jeep was hit by a direct hit and Reuven was killed on the spot. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Be’er Sheva. Survived by his parents, three sisters and two brothers. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant.