Shitzer, Menachem Mendel (Mandy)

Menachem Mendel (Mandy), son of Ethel (Eureka) and Meshulam-Zisha (Sigismund), was born in July 1953 in Ludosz, Romania, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1963. He studied in an elementary school in his hometown, He studied at the Merom Zion High School in Beit VaGan and at the Sha’alvim Yeshiva, and Menachem was an outstanding student, and in the first prizes for his academic achievements, he was awarded a prize for excellence in the high school yeshiva. Was a diligent student, his desire for Torah was intense and every day was like new to him. “One of his teachers told him that he was” one of the best in the class and excelled as a rare talent, Languages ​​and mathematics. “His teachers and friends often told him of his diligence and perseverance in Torah study and the study of the Gemara, that he was late at night and worked hard to interpret and delve into difficult issues:” His secret is his prayer, He was passionate about prayer, and during his years in yeshiva he hardly missed the yeshiva prayer. All this despite his great perseverance, for he would go up to bed with the last Ashmoret. “Menahem’s Lev was also open to the most Yaffa of art, and he liked to make fine dishes and in his parents’ home an olive tree citron was made. There was also a time to dedicate to reading in history and geography books, Menachem was a son of Torah who embodied the love of man, the love of Israel and the love of the Land of Israel, respect for his parents and his greatness, friendship of truth with his friends, honesty and brotherhood. He was a pleasant conversationalist, articulate and fluent, and he was kind, ready to lend a hand to anyone, and he responded to every request with a warm welcome. Menachem was drafted into the IDF in mid-January 1972, and volunteered for the paratroop brigade in the hesder yeshivas, after completing basic training in the tank course “Centurion”, and since he was awarded a high grade (95) He was a very good soldier, disciplined and loved His commander and his friends, his behavior was flawless, and he always volunteered for every mission, and his commander told him that he “always made sure to read and study, distanced himself from empty argument, did everything that was imposed on him, and everything he did.” When the Yom Kippur War broke out his unit was sent to the front in Sinai . On October 24, 1973, near the SAM base at the settlement west of the Suez Canal, the unit encountered an Egyptian force that ambushed their advance and opened fire on them. A “Sagger” missile hit his tank and Menachem was hit by shrapnel in his chest and killed on the spot. He was brought to eternal rest in the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem, leaving behind his parents and two brothers. After his fall, he was promoted to corporal. In the book “Meim Chaim”, which was dedicated to the memory of the three students of the Sha’alvim Yeshiva who fell during the Yom Kippur War, articles were published on halakhic matters (“On miracles in Hanukkah” and ” The “Otzar HaSfarim” in Yeshivat “Sha’alavim” established a Torah library in memory of the three fallen yeshiva students, among them Menahem.