Safra, Yaron

The eldest son of Varna. He was born on April 19, 1952 in Tel Aviv. Already in his childhood he was a handsome boy: a red hair, bright eyes, and all who saw him fell in love with him at once. Walking with his parents on the street was attracting the attention of the passersby and made them very Simcha and Simcha. He loved drawing, reading, very fond of nature, animals and trips around the country and the world. His love for the land, his sensitivity to landscapes and changes in nature, his infinite enjoyment of them, have come to fruition throughout his life. Every vacation was saved on trips through the country, by car or by foot, with his family or friends, even in difficult and dangerous places. Attracted to mischief, adventure, mystery and misery was not frightened. In his few remaining letters, and even those from the difficult period of the war, Yaron found a “place and time” for such descriptions. As a member of a family rooted in love of the land, from the tradition of the labor movement, he was sent to study at the Ed Gordon “school in northern Tel Aviv, a school that was known for its pioneering spirit and the values ​​of the labor movement and the labor settlement, the love of the land and the people, which were later an integral part of it and left their mark on his personality. Even then, his teachers noted his talents, qualities, and ability to emphasize what he wanted. Rivka, the teacher in the fifth grade, wrote: “I do not know why, the masculine uniform in Biron floated with his memory, the image of the little prince who was alive and well, and not a parable. Was the fact that he was kind and charming “…” This is how I saw him years ago in the fifth grade in the school in the north: among all the wonderful eyes of the class’s children, I saw Yaron’s eyes, blue, pure as the purity of the sky. No one is ambitious, not one of the greatest, but quiet and calm, a good and comfortable friend with his friends, restrained and balanced, not quarrelsome and does not erupt, straight and honest without a lesson “…” Who then watched that Yaron would like wings … To rise above reality as if he wanted to raise the birds. “From the house he moved to the junior high school of the Hebrew Gymnasia Herzliya, where he also absorbed values ​​of love, devotion to the country, honesty, Lev and respect for others. With devotion. He received his first training as well as the paratroopers’ wings in the military boarding school next to the Herzliya Gymnasium alongside the matriculation exams. After completing his eighth grade, Yaron expressed his desire to join the boarding school and devote himself to military service. In his parents’ many conversations with him, to examine this step prior to joining the boarding school, they realized that it was indeed a mature decision based on pure idealistic motives and not from any considerations of merit. The internal order in which he pushed him to this step and continued to guide him throughout his short life, to contribute his best talents, his energies and his time to the IDF. During his studies at the boarding school, his tendencies and his love of military life and his positive qualities in social life were immediately apparent: he had a human warmth, distinguished himself with great fairness, exemplary honesty with himself and others, willingness to understand others, kindness, The commander of the boarding school wrote: “… Yaron was one of the few boys who could be identified as boys without problems, boys who received a very good infrastructure in their home, emotionally and in other ways, and coming to boarding school was a natural continuation of life for a mission in the full sense of the word. The maturity that Biron had assumed was unmatched: the ability to analyze, the ability to distinguish between sterile and caring, and above all, a good soul, along with the intellectual aspects that were in it,The boarding school, and all this he did with the most honorable modesty … “” Among the boarding school students who saw their service in the IDF as a way of life for the nation, Yaron was one of the most prominent in his personality, radiant warmth and love. “When he enlisted in the IDF he volunteered for the Paratroopers He was transferred to an elite unit in the Southern Command, where he was sent as an officer, and from there he was sent to a course for intelligence officers, which he completed as an outstanding trainee of the course and was commended by the commander of the corps. It was a surprise to his parents and acquaintances when they came to the graduation ceremony. He was offered command of a company, but he preferred not to skip during the stages of commandment in which he advanced, and he undertook to serve as deputy company commander, as well as intelligence officer. The Yom Kippur War and its events were fought in the Suez Canal and beyond. Among other activities was the commander of the secondary force in the liberation of the Budapest post. In the postcards he made sure to send in the war, he wrote, among other things, “I wonder what is going on in your home front, is everything normal and normal, is everything okay, because that’s why we’re here!” His parents were surprised by the strength of the soul and the strength to go and comfort Bereaved parents and the wounded, and he is only 21 years old. Indeed, Yaron, who was surrounded by a sensitive soul and a sensitive soul, also showed maturity and greatness of spirit. From the southern front he wrote: “Friends are wounded and killed, and the feeling is not pleasant, but there is no choice but to finish this ‘work’ and hope that it will end quickly … Who knows what else we’ll hear when we get home?” In another letter: “Only now, when I and others feel the war up close, and friends are wounded and killed, do we learn to appreciate the peace and quiet of times without war and wait for the end …” In the end, and meeting with the war, they realize that “this is not it” … “With the grandmother of the armored corps unit, Yaron moved to serve as a combat intelligence officer on the Syrian front, Equipment. “As a permanent soldier who is signed for another 3 years, I do not have to be and do what I do here, when every regular officer can do it.” “What matters to me is the pleasant feeling,” he says in one of his letters. That I am useful in my work and appreciate what I do or do not do, and that I do not exist … I saw a number of options before me, one to switch to the Armored Corps and the other to an aviation course … ” He maintained a consistent struggle and reached the highest echelons who decide in the IDF, and his stubbornness and devotion to the cause helped him to fulfill his desire. He had never had excessive demands from the environment and life, had always made do with little and lived a modest life, even though he had a family – a wife, Eliane, whom he met with the Sayeret, and the baby born at that time – Keren. Then on the same flight he writes: “… Safra was a leader in the course even without wanting it or trying to stand out. He also won the sympathy of the guys because everyone knew about his rich past in the army (including the last war) and also because of the style of speech and the exemplary personal example he demonstrated. He was known as one who knew better, which made us angry. Every time you tried to argue with him, he would silence you with some example of his personal experience and that was the end of the matter … I remember well his fascinating stories about the battles he underwent and the pursuit of terrorists and what he and a friendHugh did them. Safra excelled in everything he did but on his level as a pilot his instructors would be good at telling. Another point that stood out in his character was strictness and responsibility. In short, Safra was one of the best people to say they were going. He also had an extraordinary collection of good qualities of leadership, responsibility, excellent performance and high personal credibility. “Yaron also completed the pilots’ course as the outstanding trainee, and even then he did not tell and it was a surprise to his family and acquaintances. He can not describe the pride of his parents, the pride of his wife, his brother, his sister and the rest of the family, proving once again that he is indeed superior to all the tasks he has taken upon himself, but he is humble – his successes did not increase his Lev. He was highly skilled in his work and progressed very quickly in his duties, and because of his high numbers of special missions and commanders, In his command and in his positions, his direct commander in the Squadron wrote: “His duties as a pilot were carried out with great distinction …” … he had a remarkable natural leadership and an inexhaustible dedication to work … ” “He is engraved as a wise, outstanding, principled officer who knows what he wants and who sticks to his goal, as a great commander and as a person who could serve as an example to every officer in the IDF, “We were his parents / We always relied on him, / We thought – Liron is in danger – / Only in the war, / Yaron – the responsible, strict, / who excelled , And with a developed technical sense, / that was cool and resourceful, / he will surely overcome any mishap, / always wish him not to get caught up in the war. That the pilots were not dependent / caused a mishap, and that they were not able to control his life / was cut off in his youth / along with three of his friends. / 25 years old was in the fall, / the pain is unbearable !!! “On the morning of 10 Kislev On November 20, 1977, the day after Sadat’s arrival in Israel, he fell with his son Sukho in his role as a pilot on Kibbutz Gat. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. He left a wife, daughter, parents, two brothers, a sister, grandparents.