Shapira, Mordechai

Mordechai (Moti), son of Hannah and Moshe, was born on September 29, 1945 in Jerusalem. He studied at the Sokolov Elementary School and continued his studies at the ORT vocational high school in Jerusalem, with the aim of frameworks. Moti was the owner of “Golden Hands,” excelled in his studies and his teachers praised him for his precision. A loyal friend was willing to help anyone at any time. He was a member of the “Noar LeNoar” organization, volunteered to serve as a traffic observer on behalf of the National Council for the Prevention of Road Accidents, and every Shabbat and Holidays served as a volunteer driver in Magen David Adom ambulances in Jerusalem. Moti was very diligent and worked a lot, without getting tired, until he achieved the tasks he took upon himself. His friend told him that he was “fighting time, as if he wanted to get it and do more and more.” He had a strong character, fair judgment, and had a lot of understanding and common sense. He knew how to make do with little and enjoy what he had. He was smiling, with a sense of humor, cheerful and Simcha, a social man and pleasant to talk to. Mordechai was drafted into the Israel Air Force in early November 1963 and served as a welder in one of the maintenance units of the IAF, and at the end of his regular service he was assigned to a reserve unit. In the Yom Kippur War, Moti participated in battles against the Egyptians on the Sinai front. On October 7, 1973, Moti fell in battle in the stronghold of Milan, facing Kantara. He spent many hours observing the stronghold and reporting to his commander about the movement of enemy soldiers, and then returned to the bunker under intense fire. Suddenly he found out that the Egyptians surrounded the bunker, without being noticed. After the enemy soldiers had left, he was ordered to return to the central stronghold, and indeed he was able to return. In the morning of the following day Mordechai went up to the machine gun position. While he was standing in the post watching the enemy movement, a shell hit him and he was killed on the spot. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery on Mount Herzl. He was survived by a father and two brothers. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant.