Saadah, Gil

Son of David and Georgette. He was born on December 11, 1955 in Tunis, Tunisia. He immigrated to Israel with his family in 1962. He studied at the Masada elementary school in Ashkelon and then at the ORT school. Gil was a member of Hashomer Hatzair. He was a sports fan, liked to play table tennis and go on trips, and was one of the best athletes in his school. He dedicated his spare time to painting and reading. His paintings adorned the walls of his class and the social club in his military unit. He was a cheerful fellow, his jokes good spirits among his friends. Gil was drafted into the IDF in early February 1974 and assigned to the Armored Corps, serving as a tank driver in the Golan Heights, and his friends loved him and enjoyed his paintings, songs and jokes. The few in the house begged him to request a transfer to a unit closer to his home, but he reassured them that his release was imminent and would be close to them again on Tuesday, 5.1.1976. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Ashkelon. Survived by his parents and four sisters. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the unit commander wrote: “When Gil came to the unit, he thought he would find it difficult to serve in an operational unit opposite the Syrian line, but after a short period of time he adjusted to the unit and the comrades and became one of us. ” His friends published a pamphlet in his memory. His parents donated a Torah scroll to a synagogue in Ashkelon.