Ben Rina and Hanan. He was born on 13.1.1979 in Moshav Ogda in the Yamit region to an agricultural family. The younger brother and the younger ones. A beautiful, inquisitive, mischievous boy who scattered bits of light and joy around him. With the evacuation of the Yamit area in April 1982, Eyal’s family moved to Moshav Kidron, near Gedera. Eyal was then three and a half years old and until the end of sixth grade he was educated at the elementary school in Kidron. He did not sit still for a moment and was constantly engaged. He was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed movement – first as a trainee and later as a counselor. Eyal’s family, who missed the desert landscape, decided to relocate to the lower Galilee and chose to settle in Kfar Adumim near Jerusalem, a mixed community in which religious and secular Jews live together. Eyal, who absorbed the love of the land and the land from his childhood, connected to biblical landscapes with all his soul and many trips. He did the seventh and eighth grades at the elementary school in Kfar Adumim, where he also joined the “Religious Scouts”; He completed his studies at the Boyer High School in Jerusalem. Eyal was an admired and admired guide for his apprentices in the Yarden Battalion: “In the eyes of young classmates, Eyal was considered the ideal guide … He was just a nice person who treated everyone nicely … A nice, smiling, always happy, sensitive, kind And a ‘man’ … one you could certainly imagine building a huge building in two or three minutes, running all the time and really loved by everyone. ” At the end of his studies Eyal went with four friends for a five-week trip to the mountains in eastern Turkey. It was an extraordinary journey, one of a kind, carefully planned for a long time, and Eyal enjoyed every moment. He was still secular, and his family was in the process of becoming religious. For a while he watched the process from the side and in his constant pursuit of the ultimate truth it was important for him to examine and understand what religion is, what faith is and what the religious way of life is. Under the influence of his good friend, he entered the pre-military religious program at Atzmona and explained his decision with the words “I want to know if this is true.” In the year and a half he spent in Atzmona he studied, researched, and delved into what he sought and chose the path of religious religious life. In his modesty and quiet way he grew stronger in his faith. “He stood out in his actions, thinking and knowing that even if the road was difficult, one had to walk with confidence and faith,” says a close friend. Eyal joined the IDF in mid-March 1999 and was assigned to the elite infantry unit Magellan, where he was trained as a combat soldier, and his personal commander from the basic training period recalls: “From one acquaintance I saw that I was dealing with a real person. These are the three qualities I was looking for in my new soldiers. … First of all, a person, then a soldier. “As someone who was characterized by a strong desire to succeed, Eyal was not deterred by difficulties and turned out to be an excellent fighter. “Eyal was a dedicated commander, who invested his entire life in the job, as well as in the army, And won the admiration of both his soldiers and commanders. “At the end of the position, Eyal returned to his original team and operational activity “Eyal was a sort of ‘anchor’ on the team, the best friend, the one who always, no matter what happens, tells you the whole truth, always invests in everything, always be dedicated …” To continue to contribute as part of the first permanent staff of the Magellan unit, believing that this is the order of the day, and signing the permanent service, he said, “Only in the army can you be all for the public.”To you, Eyal met Yael from Kfar Pines, and the two men were bound by their ties. His mother describes the special relationship that developed between them: “Yael suited the high mountains in your soul, and she walked in the paths of your soul, as in the high mountains, easily and naturally.” The bond of love matured into marriage and the two married in the winter of 2001. They lived briefly in Bat-Ein, and from there moved to the caravan neighborhood in Karmei Tzur in Gush Etzion. Their small dwelling was a warm and nurturing nest that spread the aromas of pastries and dishes – which she had made to boast, as well as tranquility and serenity and words of Torah. During his vacation from the army, Eyal often stayed in nature – studying, planting, drinking, traveling – all connected to the land and the place. It was a good sight to see the two of them sitting side by side, drinking tea, and the textbook open wide. Yael, who was in the final stages of her studies, conceived their first child and was not happy with them. She accepted with understanding Eyal’s mission and supported all his moves. Eyal continued to lead his team from an operational point of view, did not stop worrying about the cohesion of the team and its consolidation but much concern for Yael and rushed at every opportunity to return home and rejoicing. Yael was in her ninth month of pregnancy and Eyal was about to be released within a few days. He planned to begin his studies at the Ateret Yeshiva, excited and eager for the moment to become a father. But they did not get to this moment. On Friday night, 8 June 2002, at 2 am, two terrorists infiltrated Karmei Zur. Artillery soldiers who identified them opened fire, but the terrorists returned fire and ran into the caravan compound of the settlement. Eyal heard shots and took his weapon and left. A terrorist ambushed the trailer and shot him dead. Yael, who heard his groans, followed him, and she too was murdered with her fetus. In the exchange of fire that developed between the terrorists and the IDF forces, Sergeant Shalom Mordechai was also killed and five other soldiers were wounded, one of them was killed and the other fled to the village of Halhul, later captured by the security forces. He was buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem and was buried next to his wife, Yael, who left behind his parents, two sisters and a brother, and was raised to the rank of sergeant. As if the world stopped abruptly. With so much love, he made this whole process, love for Israel, love for friends, especially love for the spirit of Israel, grandfather … “His mother wrote in his memory:” As you have, you gave so much power to us. … You often encounter great difficulties in your ability, difficult for your personal sensitivity and delicacy – and you did not give up because you wanted to do everything, not a little less than everything – what you can for everything. At the point of inner strength that you have lived in – so glamorous in your early childhood – you cling to the full force of your tender being. “You wanted to swallow the world – to try everything, to know, to know, to learn from everyone you met.” In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz wrote: “Eyal is described as a leading fighter with high values and work ethic. “His commanders show that because of his deep belief in the rightness of the road, he has formed his team and persuaded his friends to sign as a permanent team, and I am sure that his absence is felt among the commanders and soldiers of the unit.” The print and electronic press extensively covered the murderous attack and the tragic end of Eyal and Yael. Eyal’s family gathered in a special booklet things written in memory of relatives, friends, fighters and commanders, as well as pictures and newspaper clippings that were published after they left. Eyal’s friend wrote: “I saw you in two placesDifferent, here in the Yishuv and in the army. It was quiet, quiet, almost gone. Just as you sat in the synagogue on the side, on the back of your neck, so as not to stand out, to commune with yourself and the Creator of the world, but nevertheless exist. So in the army, you did not stand in the front row, you were not prominent and shouting, your work is done quietly, efficiently, yet with a thoroughness that sometimes exceeded all the others. … was very conspicuous despite, and perhaps despite, that you did not want to. “Eyal was connected to the land, to the desert, to the landscapes of the country …” For me, Eyal was a sympathetic ear, and eyes that loved and understood and accepted you. As you are, and thanks to that, it does not matter either religion or faith. “A member of the preparatory program and a deputy commander in the unit recalled:” In the most difficult place, Eyal’s tremendous willpower would have been revealed and he would have enjoyed the difficulties and the challenges. ” Another friend wrote: “Eyal, the way you chose to walk in your life, a way that says that there is a reality that can unite, that it does not matter how you say things but how to do them … You came to the path of truth. The more important and less important things, you taught us that you are the real leader, the best soldier of all, a really good person. “
