Sapir (Belachsan), Raphael

Son of Binyamin and Yael. Born in 1940 in Meknes, Morocco. In 1951 he immigrated to Israel alone as part of “Youth Aliyah”. He studied at Kfar Haroeh and at the Mikvah Israel vocational high school, where he was drafted into the IDF in mid-November 1958 and joined the regular army in May 1961. He began as a general and attained the rank of company sergeant. After two years he served as a company commander in command of a full appointment, and then the battalion commander decided that Raphael was worthy of being promoted to the rank of lieutenant, so he advanced to the rank of major. During the fighting in 1967, the battalion commander praised Rafael for his dedication to the excellent performance of his role in organizing the battalion, and his battalion was prepared for battle very effectively. On the 12th of Kislev 5732 (30.11.1971), he died during his service. He left a wife and three children. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Nahariya. A letter received in his family by the IDF General Staff says: “I have no doubt that you and the children knew Rafael more than any of us. But his other world, in addition to the house – and I certainly emphasize that he was second in importance – was the army. In the army he spent his best years and served in several units, and each made a huge contribution. During my many years of service in the IDF, I worked with many officers, and only rarely did I ever meet such a dedicated, efficient, honest, and honest officer as my friend Raphael had done. His motives stemmed mainly from the recognition that one does not have to accept things as a ‘dictate of fate’ when it is not entirely complete with the possibilities available to him – and if so he must stand up and try another way, independently, without fear. When the Quartermaster Quartermaster was injured in his own accident, in addition to his role as the adjutant, He was excellent at his work, during a difficult period of daily clashes with the Syrian army in the Golan and with the terrorists who were active in other sectors of the brigade as well. He did everything in his power to help every person to the last of the soldiers, and to provide them with all their love with great love, because of these qualities and others I greatly admired Rafael Sapir, and I saw him as a devoted friend as I was to him. I have no consolation for your great pain. ” “I was one of his soldiers on the Golan Heights and I had the honor to serve under his command,” he said, “and I will never forget his help and encouragement when Avi died. And how he helped me move to serve in a place close to my home.