Shapira, Netta

Neta, son of Leah and Gedaliah, was born in Tel Aviv on January 21, 1953. He studied at the Yehuda Maccabee Elementary School and was active in the Scouts movement. After graduating from elementary school, he was accepted to study at the military boarding school of the Herzlia Gymnasium. After one year he moved to the Max Payne vocational school and studied electronics. Neta loved his studies and was a diligent student. Having loved the profession, he saw it as his future. He was active and awake, knew how to use his time to the fullest, and after completing his studies, he was active in the Gadna framework, was sent to the Gadna commanders’ course, completed successfully and taught at the school. With a high degree of integrity, with a friendly attitude towards his friends and with great responsibility, and was a bright, handsome young man who, after successfully completing his studies at the vocational school, was looking forward to the day when he would be called to the IDF. During the period between graduation and recruitment, he worked for an electronics company, where he proved to be a dedicated, loyal, responsible and well-trained employee. Neta was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in mid-May 1971. After completing basic training he was sent to the Armored Corps School, and after completing his training there he was assigned to the armored infantry unit. He was a good soldier and a loyal friend, during which he excelled as a commander and attained the rank of sergeant. In his unit he was considered an efficient and dedicated soldier, and was fond of his comrades and commanders. His unit was stationed in the south and during the War of Attrition participated in operational activities. In the Yom Kippur War, the unit fought in the area of ​​Qantara, in the northern sector of the Suez Canal. On the day of Yom Kippur, 10 October 1973, Neta was sent with an armored force to carry out a mission, and when he was on his way to the target, the force encountered an ambush and a fierce fire of anti-tank weapons opened fire on him. Foot on the ambush, until he was hit and fell. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. Survived by his parents and sister. After his fall, he was promoted to First Sergeant. In a letter to the bereaved family, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote: “Neta was an excellent soldier and a loyal friend, and was loved by everyone who knew him”