(Schnapper), Reuven

Son of Shmuel and Tova. Born in Vienna, capital of Austria, on August 7, 1946, he immigrated to Israel in 1949. He completed his elementary studies at the Habonim School in Kiryat Bialik, where he showed dedication to studies, behaved fine and clean and took the knowledge seriously He later went on to study at the Naval Officers School in Acre and completed his studies there, and when he was a student there, he took a basketball referee course in the “Hapoel” After completing his studies in 1963, he became the school’s cruiser and was responsible for disciplining the entire institution, and in October 1964 he was drafted into the IDF and served in the navy. He liked to paint submarines and in this way expressed his love for this vessel. Upon his enlistment in the IDF, he was sent to a course for captains and completed his service in Eilat. Until 1966, he was sent to England for a submarine training course. He reached the rank of lieutenant and was a competent and quick navigational officer and then switched to submarine service. He was ordained as a diver in December 1967 to join the “Whale” team, but when he had the opportunity to move forward with the Dakar team, he was Simcha to have such a difficult and responsible role. This step was characteristic of him – not to avoid a role that demands responsibility. The sense of duty was accompanied by a desire and every task he would fulfill with great precision. When the submarine “Dakar” was on its way home and was found on the sea route between Gibraltar and Haifa, the connection was cut off and it was not renewed. This was on the 24th of Tevet 5728 (25.1.1968). The Chief Military Rabbinate determined that the date of Reuven’s death, in the course of carrying out his duties together with the rest, was on the 30th of Tevet 5728 (30.1.1968). Since Reuven was among the missing members of the team, a memorial monument was placed inside him in the memorial to the Dakar people in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. In Eran Shorer’s book “Six Days in Decker,” his picture was presented. On the 28th of June 1999, after years of searching, the INS Dakar submarine was found on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, at a depth of 2,900 meters on its planned sailing route and 250 miles from the port of Haifa. A space whose burial place is unknown.