Sa’dian, Mordechai

Mordechai, son of Osnat and Shlomo, was born in 1949 and when he was two years old he immigrated to Israel with his family, where he lived in various places in Israel until he settled in Yavneh, where he studied in the religious public school in Yavneh. He was very clever and alert, but when he completed his studies, he was forced to go to work, and he loved nature and the work of the land, so he worked for a few years as a farmer and a tractor driver in Kfar Mordechai. He was loved by all because of his integrity, kindness, and willingness to help others. During his spare time Mordechai was active in sports and especially enjoyed swimming, and spent many hours swimming and practicing sports on the beach, and was drafted into the IDF in the middle of August 1967 and assigned to the Armored Corps. In this framework he underwent courses and was certified as a driver of the Santorion tank. He was a good disciplined soldier and an excellent driver who did his job well. From the very beginning of his career in the battalion, he had become fond of his friends and commanders and had established friendly relations with them. In 1970 he was discharged from the regular army with the rank of corporal and since then he has been on reserve duty. In 1971 he married his beloved girlfriend, Esther, and a year later their first son was born. Mordechai worked to support his family in a metalwork shop in Yavneh, as a mechanical frame. He was not like a loving and devoted husband and a loyal and caring father. He tried to devote his free time to his wife and little son, and he spent hours with him in the game. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Mordechai joined his unit, which was sent to Sinai. The unit took part in the fierce battles near the Firdan Bridge, and on the day of the 12th of Tishrei 5734 (October 8, 1973), Mordechai’s tank was hit by an anti-tank missile and he was brought to eternal rest in the civilian cemetery in Rehovot. “I met Mordecai during his reserve duty as a courageous young man, who fulfilled all the tasks that were imposed on him, with the discovery of supreme heroism and self-sacrifice,” wrote Assaf Yaguri, commander of the unit. In a letter to his family, the head of the manpower department wrote: “Mordekhai was one of those wonderful warriors who, with their courage and stubborn fighting, blocked the enemy, and with great devotion they prevented Egyptian soldiers from penetrating the State of Israel. We owe this to our friends and our lives, and the people of Israel will forever remember our martyrs and heroes from generation to generation. “