Son of Yardena and Yinon, Ron was born on September 23, 1981 in Netanya. A second son to his parents, brother to Ehud. When he was ten months old, he moved with his family to Katzrin in the Golan Heights. Ron, nicknamed ‘Roncho’ by his close associates, attended the Gamla Elementary School in Katzrin. A beautiful, curly-haired boy whose rolling laughter became his trademark. He was loved by his friends for his special character: introverted and arresting but caring, with a well-developed sense of justice and very sensitive to the needs of others. Ron continued his studies at the Nofei Golan High School in Katzrin, where he studied marketing and business administration. He was an exemplary student and achieved high scholastic achievements, but he kept it low, as his father attested: “In Nofei Golan, he was an outstanding student, with a maturity average of 10.8, including bonuses, when he forbade us to show the diploma. Lying down and watching television … “As part of his studies, Ron chose to write a research paper, which was widely praised, on the Cross Israel Highway. He offered help to his friends who had difficulty in school and did so willingly and lovingly. He knew the English language well and read many books in English. Ron was an avid supporter of the Maccabi Netanya soccer team and one of the first to join her club, but his greatest love was with Manchester United. He watched closely for her achievements and did not miss a game. Twice he went to England, London, and Manchester, to watch closely the team’s games. He himself played basketball in the Hapoel Katzrin group and excelled in the role of coordinator. At the end of March 2000, Ron enlisted in the IDF and chose to go to the Armored Corps, where he was assigned to the Armored Corps, after which he was assigned to the Armored Corps and served in the Sufa Battalion. From an early age, he longed to be a tank driver and was happy that his dream had come true, and because he was an outstanding tank driver, the company commander chose him to be the driver of the Merkava tank he commanded. True to his teammates, Ron gave up on the promotion possibilities that were opened to him in order to continue to serve them He also took part in many operations, mainly in the Gaza Strip, and helped to eliminate terrorists who threatened to harm Israeli soldiers and civilians.In the course of his military service, Ron also found time for one of his favorite hobbies – listening to English music – he was interested in British bands, A letter was found in his estate, which he did not have time to send, and he wrote to one of these bands expressing his opinion about her poems. However, his plans did not materialize. On February 14, 2002, Ron was killed in an IDF operation on the outskirts of Gaza City at the age of 20. The crew of the Merkava-3 tank, which was with three other soldiers, was called upon to help a civilian convoy that was attacked on the Karni Netzarim road. At the Netzarim junction, Ron’s tank mounted a ground-loaded bomb that contained more than 100 kilograms of powerful explosives, penetrating the tank’s body and breaking through the body, breaking off the turret, breaking off the tank and flying several meters away. Ron and two of his friends – First Sergeant Moshe Peled and Sergeant Asher Zaguri – The fourth crew member, Finkelstein Shuki, was slightly injured. He was survived by his parents and brother, and was promoted to the rank of First Sergeant and was commended by the OC Northern Command,Who claimed that Ron and his colleagues “acted with determination, while demonstrating operational and professional capabilities, striving for contact with the enemy, fighting under fire, displaying coolness and devotion to the mission.” Among the escorts Ron was laid to rest were the players of the Maccabi Netanya team and its management, who announced their decision to call gate number one at the Netanya Stadium in his name – ‘Gate of Lavi’ in the game opening season. The brigade commander recounts: “The brigade commander told us that a few hours before the operation, he passed through the tanks in Netzarim. On the occasion of his visit, he gathered 15 soldiers who were sitting next to him. They did not talk about conditions and vacations; They were two levels above everything he knew. There were two that were particularly prominent – Ron and the contact with him. The deputy commander asked them if they had received the code of ethics that was distributed to the soldiers, and Ron claimed that the ethical code was not enough in his pocket: “The main thing is that it goes into the heart and the head, when the final test is its implementation,” he said. , That Ron’s words be published in the IDF’s battle legacy. ” Toward the thirtieth day of Ron’s fall, the company commander pondered what he would say about his grave. Fate and his dilemma were spared; Exactly one month after the disaster, another Merkava tank mounted a powerful explosive charge that exploded in the same place and caused more casualties. Among the fallen was First Sergeant Matan Biderman, whose bedside contained eulogy he had written about Ron. Company commander Kram at the memorial service. The class in which Ron studied marketing and administration at the Nofei Golan High School in Katzrin will be named after him as the Ron Lavie Class. The class will include pictures of Ron and works he made while he was in school. His parents will award each year a scholarship to an outstanding student in marketing.
