Ben Idit and Danny. He was born on 26 February 1976 in Tel Aviv. In the summer of 1980, at the age of four, he traveled with his family on a diplomatic mission to Johannesburg, South Africa, where his father served as a representative of the Ministry of Tourism. Itai was absorbed in the Jewish kindergarten in the area and there also began his elementary studies at the King David School. During his time in South Africa, Itai’s athletic skills were discovered, especially in the field of light athletics. He participated in regional competitions and won first place in short runs. In the farewell remarks from the family, before returning to Israel, the director of the Jewish school in Johannesburg said that Itai was proud of the school and that as a student he received the school with great respect. In 1985, the family returned to Israel and settled in Neve Monosson, where he studied with me at the Oranim elementary school from the fourth grade through the seventh grade. In 1989, the family went on a different mission to Amsterdam, Holland. Itai studied for a year at the International School in Amsterdam – I.SA. While there, he became a member of the school’s soccer and basketball teams and traveled to games throughout Western Europe. In 1990 the family returned to Israel in Neve Monosson. Itai continued his high school studies at the comprehensive high school in Yehud. He completed his studies in the physical-physical program and successfully passed his matriculation exams. Throughout his years of study, he stood out as a gifted athlete and excelled in all sports, especially in light athletics and swimming. He was a sensitive person, loved to listen to music and play the guitar, and in his youth he joined the Scouts movement in the Maccabim tribe in Neve Monosson and later became a guide in the ” Gilad “and continued his activities in the movement for nine years, until the day he joined the IDF. His membership in the Scouts was a central focus of his life. Itai loved the social life of the movement and believed in the values of friendship – interest in others, giving, listening, credibility and honesty. Itai devoted himself to his good friends with a secondhand seriousness. Joy of life, striving for perfection, perseverance, sensitivity, innocence and sense of humor – all these characterized Itai and his actions. He was proud of his family and very attached to it, made plans for the future and thought about studying and establishing a family. He liked to set himself a goal and achieve it in every way. Itai volunteered for one of the IDF’s elite patrols, and therefore, a year before his induction, he was trained in the “Recruitment Unit.” Itai was drafted into the IDF at the end of July 1994 and began his service as a combat soldier in the Nahal Corps Engineering Corps, He was forced to leave the Nahal Brigade and moved to serve in the Israel Air Force, where he served as a Field Security NCO. His new appointment disappointed him at first because he wanted to serve in a combat force, but he accepted it and fulfilled the task with dedication and professionalism. Being a sociable person, he integrated into his new unit and liked his commanders and his comrades in the unit. On the eve of Simhat Torah 5756 (October 15, 1995), Itai’s best friend, Sergeant Yotam Inbar, was killed while the APC on which he was riding boarded a roadside bomb in southern Lebanon. The death of Yotam, who was his friend in heart and soul since childhood, had a profound impact on Itai and made a turning point in his life. There was a void in his heart and he could not contain the sorrow of parting, the pain of loss and longing. At the end of three and a half months, on January 30, 1996, he died at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul and was buried next to his friend, Sergeant Yotam Inbar. In a letter of condolences to the family, Chief of Staff Amnon Shahak wrote: “Itai is a degreeBy his commanders as a professional, responsible and thorough soldier who fulfilled his duties to their full satisfaction. Was admired and accepted by his commanders and friends alike. “The commander of the unit in which he served, Lt. Col. Neri Eli, wrote to his family:” Itai showed professionalism and perseverance in the field in which he dealt, field security, Itai had a high personal level, was very motivated, all while maintaining self-discipline and military discipline. In his memoirs, Esther Kushnir Pinkas wrote: “Your orphaned gaze caresses / melodies the tired bird of my soul.” , / Your words in my lap like an amber, / Like a fossil of tomorrow / who has no courage to gather / and let the twilight of the beach / Maybe to the direction of my strings.
