Son of Hagit and Shimon. He was born on May 13, 1979 in Karnei Shomron, one of the first children born in the Yishuv. The third son of eight children, brother to Harel, Moriah, Morasha, Elyashiv, Bat El, Elishama and Dubi. He acquired his education at the Masua State Religious School in Karnei Shomron, the Netiv Meir yeshiva in Jerusalem and Torat Hayyim in Neve Dekalim. The most prominent traits in the personality of Banea who grew up and developed into a leader were humility, giving, truth, courage and devotion to purpose. As a young boy, he took part in the activities of organizations that help children suffering from cancer and child paralysis and became an active participant in the frameworks that promote and nurture new immigrants. During the summer vacation, he ran from Ilana camp to the Zichron Menachem summer camp, and volunteered for another, and Banea joined the IDF at the end of March 1999 and was assigned, at his request, to the Armored Corps, where he saw a real mission. He completed his officers’ course as an outstanding apprentice. During the course he took part in a delegation of cadets to Poland and wrote in his diary: “When I went to Poland, I felt death, and on the plane there were Poles who came to their country, and when they landed they applauded, we arrived home, and I came home to the cemetery of the Jewish people. The cemetery of Grandma ‘s family … In Tiktin, in Treblinka, I feel that I am treading on the dead, that I step on my brothers, and death is accompanied by everything, but I know that this death gave rise to life and this life is me, you, they, us. Their lives gave me the right to be a free Jew in the Land of Israel … These lives gave me the right to portray as a Jewish soldier from the Land of Israel all those who are no longer here. … These lives demand and require … but I know that the requirements are enormous. Who would give that iy shoud be in me , the power to stand in their place.
. ” At the end of the officers’ course, he served as a “Ganan KaKash” – commander and mentor of the Armored Corps course, and later served as a training officer for the battalion and as a combat operations officer. He completed his studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and completed his studies as a “Dean’s Examiner.” At that time, he was educated at the Shanti House in Tel Aviv and helped him get his matriculation certificate. He also volunteered regularly with his company to assist autistic children at the Gil School in Tel Aviv, and when he was appointed commander of a company, he wrote to his friend Carmit: “Look, I am going to a difficult time and I do not know how things will develop. The role from any place seems to me demanding and challenging and the Israeli reality is liable to do it in a more difficult moment … Know that right now I find a true mission in the army and I would not have stayed. You have to be a real ‘screwdriver’ in order to assume the position of company commander with such a great sense of responsibility … Know that the sense of mission is of great value: for what will a person feel and have no real mission in his life? At the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, Banea was in a period of transition between positions, when he completed his position as a recruits company in the “Sons of Light” and was about to take command of an operational company in the 401st Brigade. The tank’s crew consisted of Sergeant First Sergeant Alex Bonimovich, the tank driver, First Sergeant Adam Goren, and First Sergeant Uri Grossman, the tank’s gunner, who was called the “Construction Force” During the fighting, a “construction force” carried out a number of heroic rescue operationsWill save the lives of many fighters. Described Nadav Steiner, a paratrooper fighter: “… I think we were saved only by the soldiers we brought them food and ammunition … Unfortunately, we saw righteous people from us who were hurt, Major Benya Rain was in a tank that accompanied us all these dangerous journeys. This war … he promised the lives of all the wounded who were evacuated through our route … of the dead who were brought for burial … of the soldiers who received food and water during the war. ” On Saturday night, 19 Menachem Av 5766 (August 12, 2006), while on his way to another rescue mission of a damaged tank in Khirbat el Kassif, the tank in which Banea was killed was hit by an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah, and all the crew members were killed. He was laid to rest in the military section of the cemetery in Karnei Shomron, which lies above the Kane stream, which he sailed many times in his life, leaving his parents, four brothers and three sisters, and was promoted to the rank of major. On September 11, 2007, Major-General Benya received a citation from the OC Central Command together with all the crew members of the tank. Brig. Gen. Gadi Shamni, commander of the Central Command, explained: “Major Benea Ryan, who volunteered to fight during the war and during which he was killed, demonstrated in his actions a spirit of combat, initiative, exceptional leadership and self-sacrifice. His actions serve as a model for IDF fighters in general and for armored fighters in particular. ” After his fall, a handwritten page of his hand is found in his wallet containing a prayer attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: “May the Lord, our God and the God of our forefathers, have mercy on you, that will abolish wars and bloodshed from the world and continue a great and wonderful peace in the world. And not for hate and jealousy, and for chastising and shedding blood, God forbid, we have only come to the world to know and know you, blessed be He. ” His parents wrote: “The way in which he was killed faithfully expressed the great spirit concealed in the simplicity of his ways … Banea is now buried in the land of Eretz Israel, the land he loved without compromise … I wish the courage of its sons will stand before the young generation that will march the future nation of Israel We are confident that its power will not allow the candle to be extinguished. ” His father eulogized him: “… Banea, your dedication to the Israel Defense Forces and the people of Israel for the last twenty-seven and a half years, and in the end you ascended to heaven in a storm in the Merkava … We are sorry for you. … Everything you did – you did with honors, but modestly. … You have been enterprising with unique thinking and unique solutions. You were always not standard. But above all, loving and caring for others – respecting your father and mother was exemplary. … Love in Lev and soul … You were handsome – external and internal! His mother eulogized him: “… I just wanted to tell you again how proud we are of you, of your deeds, the way you chose and the way you fought and fell for the sanctification of God for all of us.” “You are a pure man, a man of truth, a man of standards, a man of principles, a lover of the land and a lover of man. You have always cared for your family, your friends and your soldiers without compromises. “In your death, you commanded us life – a life of virtue, a life of integrity and love of man.” Many articles published in the print and electronic media were written about Banea and illuminated his unique character: “Soldiers who came into contact With Banea during the war they say that he was calm and quiet, an island of security in a sea of worry and uncertainty. Whoever heard it”A few weeks ago, before he enlisted, he received an experience that did not allow me to read it,” wrote Eyal Israel Sternlich, a member of Torat Hayyim. I’ve never seen. I walked along the path leading from the yeshiva to the main synagogue in Neve Dekalim, and suddenly I saw Banea, who had already managed to settle down, lying on the path and hugging the stones. “When they wanted to pick him up and take him to the room, he had a fire in his eyes and shouted, ‘No one will take me from the Land of Israel, that no one will touch me and take me from these stones.'” Banea was the best thing that happened to us. An officer who finally looked at us as human beings, and first and foremost the man himself, and not the soldier who was supposed to take orders. “Amir Eidelman, a member of the unit, wrote:” … the light that burst forth from you through your good eyes and your famous smile. The joy of life and the unconditional love that you have given to commanders and comrades in arms … I thank you for all this – for I have been privileged to see a man serving his people and God with joy and a sense of mission. “” You are one of the few people I can say about leaders . You were a leader, a commander, a teacher and a guide … “The eulogy of the close friend Giora:” … Everywhere you knew how to combine your desires and abilities, deep and clear self-awareness, without pride and pretense – pure humility. “I thank you for all the years, for the wonderful, rare friendship.” The obituary of Nadav Lotan-Lishinetzker, the commander of Banea: “You were everything I wanted from my company commander … a man who was a leadership, leadership and professional challenge. I miss your ability to touch people, I can not speak directly with anyone, I miss the directness, the sincerity and the responsibility that you have demonstrated in everything you have done. ” Wrote Oded Stern, a friend: “… Banea would do everything quietly, but this quiet radiated great power …. It was clear that there was no one in the world who could trust more than Banea, and it was not only that. When we need him … Staying with him, the way he looked at things and did them for the public are things I drew from her sons, who planted me and made him part of me … “Ariel Friedman wrote:” … We lost a friend and a leader and the pain and space he left behind are not … Thank you for teaching us what it is to be excellent, thank you for being a good friend, “You have always been clear and the way was always clear to you, and even if I did not always agree with you, I always loved and appreciated you. … You were a true friend … You built a very clear path – a path of little talk and a lot of deeds … a way of excellence in everything while finding time for help and charity in the more crowded periods. I want to assure you that I will always remember you and the way you walked. ” Many actions have been taken and are being made to commemorate Banea. The Karnei Shomron Community Center organizes a “torch race” in memory of Banea, who was a marathon runner in Israel and abroad, during the Hanukkah holiday. The Friends of the Netiv Meir High School in Jerusalem established the Keren Re’im for Encouragement of Volunteerism in the name of Banea and after his friend, Lieutenant Metania Tzinvirt. Two Torah scrolls were written in memory of Banea. One is in the central synagogue in Karnei Shomron – a place where Banea was born and raised. The second Torah scroll was placed in a synagogue in the “Shizafon” camp – a camp in which Banea did most of his military service as a soldier and commander. In the Upper Galilee, near Misgav Am, at the point from which Banea set out for the last mission in the war, Mitzpeh Benaya was built in his memory. At the dedication of the observatory, the brother-in-law of Banea, Avinoam Stolowitz, spoke: “… Banea had a special humility that did not allow us to see his successes as if they were a personal success. Our knowledge included this humility, which also led those around him to follow him with a sense of partnership and true friendship. ” Banea friends set up a website in his memory. URL: www.benaya.name. The site, the story of his life, a picture gallery, his notes, memoirs, videos, articles, commemorative activities and news. The family will be happy to receive additional materials related to Banea through the website.
