Stein, Meir

Meir, son of Rivka and Nehemiah Stein, was born on July 18, 1951, in Tel Aviv. His family lived in an old Arab house in Jaffa, and Meirka was four years old when the family moved from Jaffa to Ramat Hatayasim. He studied at the Zvi Shapira Elementary School in Ramat Hatayasim, where he received a Zionist and working culture and learned to love his country and respect others. He graduated from elementary school, went to high school Ironi 9. He was very talented and quick-paced, and soon the school’s rigid framework bored him, spending time with his friends and spending most of his time putting together a young club for the young kids in the community. After graduating from high school, he studied day and night self-study until he successfully passed the matriculation exams at the external school. Meirke loved his family with all his heart, admired his older brother, who was a pilot in the air force and gave a lot of warmth and protection to his younger sister. Meir was drafted into the IDF in mid-May 1969 and assigned to the Armored Corps. He went through basic training and then was sent to a tank driver course. Shortly after being sent for training in the tank commanders course, the course was discontinued and the unit was sent to the northern front because of the tension that prevailed in the area. Meirke’s tank was hit at an operational action and, thanks to his courage and his composure, managed to return safely to the base together with his crew. The tension was over and he was returned to the interrupted course and finished as an outstanding apprentice. Until the end of his regular army service, he was a guide at the Armored Corps School and was a loved by his subordinates and a fond of his commanders. At the beginning of May 1972, he was discharged from the IDF in the rank of sergeant and was assigned to a reserve unit, where he was accepted to study law and was admitted to the Mechina at Tel Aviv University and was supposed to begin his studies as a full-time law student in October 1973. Meirke joined the El Al company, was dedicated to his work and succeeded in it, so his superiors decided to send him to Kenya, and returned from Africa full of experiences and impressions, full of fascinating photographs and stories he told with great skill. He kept calling home to find out if a call had been made for him When he arrived at the assembly point, the tanks started firing, and since there were many tank commanders and fewer crew members, Meyer asked to be joined by a team under the command of one of his friends, he was willing to be a crew member, even though he was a qualified tank commander, he was a team-mate, and in that capacity he fought in the battles of Sinai, and quickly gained the admiration of his comrades, And when he guided the tank driver, who was not experienced in his position. The tanks of his unit was deployed opposite the Egyptian forces, which were moving along the Persian axis to the east. In front of many, the tanks blocked the Egyptians’ momentum. In the battle that took place on the 11th of Tishrei 5734 (October 11, 1973) four kilometers east of the Pirdan bridge, on the “Braga” axis, Meir’s tank was hit by a shell that hit his seat and Meir was killed. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. Survived by his parents, sister and brother. After his fall, he was promoted to First Sergeant. The Kovel Association of Israel published a file in memory of the fallen boys, which included a description of Meir’s character; Words in his memory are also included in a pamphlet entitled “I shall not forget this my friend,” published by the Ben Gurion Airport administration, in memory of his workers who fell in the war.