Ben Talia and David. He was born on February 16, 1977 in Jerusalem. From childhood, Rotem was nicknamed “Rothman” by his family. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Gilo, where he grew up and was educated. A thin, mischievous child who tends to walk on tiptoe and moves with strange movements, mimicking the black dances. Already at the age of five, he had shown an inclination towards karate and had persisted in it for the next thirteen years. Rotem began his studies at the “Gila A” elementary school and continued to Makif Gilo High School where he completed his studies in computers and biology. He was addicted to watching television programs, whether in cartoons or horror films, and clung to the screen for long hours. By the time he reached eighth grade, Rotem had begun practicing karate with the Shotokan method. He got caught up in it, invested twice a week in his energy and time, significantly improved and advanced to a brown belt. In addition, he played basketball regularly. Later, he took a swimming instructor’s course and a karate instructor course. The summer vacation of 1994 was characterized by intensive activities that had toned his body and spirit – he went to a special training session of the Karate Association, during which he underwent a test preparation for a black belt. The practice was fraught with demanding physical and mental endeavors, and Rottam was respectful of it. At the same time, he prepared for the formation of elite units in the IDF. He worked as a swimming instructor and as a Karate instructor at the YMCA camp and underwent a gun training course. At the end of 11th grade, Rotem began to work as a distributor in a health food company, and during the summer vacation he advanced to the senior ranks of the company and became a senior distributor, and he knew that in order to be successful and motivated, In the middle of the school year he decided to fly to England to visit a friend, and helped him to develop his own studies, He was an optimistic man who loved life and was wise enough to exploit it “Someone once told me that you eat life like a juicy apple that you want to eat more and more …” Even after his cousin was killed in a terrorist attack in Beit Lid, He traveled to Greece with friends and when he returned to Israel, he began to work at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital as a finance minister, and as part of his duties he distributed meals to the sick, and in his special way Conquered the hearts of workers and patients alike. On Rotem’s shift, the patients knew, they were guaranteed a delicious meal – even if it was self-cooking in the hospital kitchen or bringing food from his mother’s kitchen. Rotem’s devotion caused one of the hospitalized women, who was pregnant, to name his daughter. During the period, they were identified by the Navy and invited to the formation tests in the naval commando. Before he enlisted, he managed to enjoy himself in Turkey with his girlfriend Dekel. In the middle of January 1996, Rotem enlisted in a pilot course and managed to fly fifteen flights until he dropped out at the end of the preparatory stage. He was accepted to the Nahal commando unit, underwent a course for advanced scouts and advanced training, and was a combat patrolman, and Roth invested, as usual, and the results were not long in coming. 1997) was killed in a battle in Lebanon, and Rotem went to Lebanon to carry out an overnight ambush in the Taibeh area – the western sector of the Ba’abda areaGrind. He headed the force with the crew commander. In the area of the al-Qutzer outpost, the force mounted on a roadside bomb planted by the terrorists. The explosive exploded and Ratham was hit and killed. With him were Lieutenant Yonatan Tzirel and Sergeant Niv Sadan. Another soldier was wounded. Rotem was laid to rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. He was twenty years old when he fell. Survived by parents and two sisters – Keren and Shani. After his death he was promoted to sergeant. The press covered the circumstances of Rotem and his comrades. After his death, the Wingate family received the first stage Karate instructor’s certificate, which he was supposed to receive. His family commemorated, among other things, a Torah scroll and Torah library that had been put into the Sephardi synagogue in Gilo. In his condolence letter to the bereaved family, Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak wrote: “Rotem served as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance company and was described by his commanders as a resourceful soldier who played a central role in the formation of his team and showed willingness to help and assist those around him at all times.” The commander of the unit wrote to the family: “Rotem was a central figure in the team, a friend and one of the best fighters we have, and Rotem took a central part in the team’s formation, and his untimely death leaves a large void that will not be filled.
