Zecharia (Zaki), son of Tova and Pinchas, was born on Kibbutz Afek on June 9, 1949, and when he was two he moved with his family to Tirat Hacarmel. When he was nine, the family moved to Zichron Yaakov. He completed his studies at the “Nili” elementary school and completed his high school studies at the regional school in Pardes-Hanna, where he studied in the Lavoranti program, where he was active in social life, served as a youth counselor and on vacations. “When he arrived at the school, we were quickly connected to a friendly student-teacher relationship, and it was not long before I discovered a boy who was friendly, smiling, honest and brilliant. He was the living spirit that contributed greatly to the social life of the school. His devotion and volunteer power were a model. Later, I was told, these traits were discovered within the army as well. “His friend says:” Zaki was the only real friend I ever had. Together we spent one room in the entire period of our studies, and together we played around and found many tricks, in the best of our imagination. Zaki, besides being a loyal friend and an amusing partner, was also an ideal partner for the job. He liked to guide the guys and advise and help, and they trusted him. Zaki was very thorough. Everything he did, planned in detail, and he could also excite others to take part in the action. He had vitality and energy that stuck to all those around him. “Zechariah was drafted into the IDF in mid-February 1968 and assigned to the Armored Corps. During his service, he underwent a course for tank commanders, an officers’ course, and a course for armored officers. During the War of Attrition, he served as commander of a tank division on the canal’s edge. “During the War of Attrition, Zacharia ‘s unit encountered an ambush and many of its soldiers fell, leaving the people with a low morale, and some of them were even depressed: Zaki gathered the men and asked permission to go up to firing positions. Now that they will fight for every fallen soldier, they fought as they never fought, and as if I were born again, in my lectures at the various IDF bases, I brought this story as an example of the behavior of an officer under pressure. For Zaki, volunteering was a very natural matter, and not unusual. We have learned a lot about exemplary personalities in our history, and suddenly you see in front of your eyes such a figure, flesh and blood, that has not been recorded and recorded in the pages of books, but it exists in existence, a daily existence beside you. Zacharia was placed in the armored personnel unit until the day of his release, in mid-February 1971. When he returned to civilian life, he was accepted to the army’s preparatory program at the university in Tel Aviv Aviv, and then studied for two years in the biology department. In order to finance his studies, he worked as head of a testing shift at son of-Gurion Airport. Noga was a good friend, a charming and open soul who loved life and people, and he could not resist the smile of his smiling eyes, and it was impossible not to join in joy and to catch up with joy, When Zaki was a singer. ” When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Zaki was not called for appointment because he was registered as having a low profile due to his disability. Zaki did not wait for the order to read, volunteered and joined an armored unit that fought on the southern front. On the 16th of Tishrei 5734 (October 16, 1973), during the break-in to the “Chinese Farm,” he was hit by enemy fire and fell to eternal rest in the cemetery in Zichron Ya’acov, leaving behind a father, mother and brother. In the battles, he received a commendation from Yekutiel Adam, GOC Central CommandW. “The late Lieutenant Zecharia Steinmetz volunteered to fight in the Yom Kippur War, despite being wounded from the War of Attrition and with poor health. On the night of October 15, 1973, he participated in the battles of the Chinese Farm, where he was injured and fell. Volunteering to fight despite his medical limitations contributed greatly to the spirit of the unit. In his actions, the late Lieutenant Zecharia Steinmetz displayed courage and dedication without hesitation. ” In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote: “Zechariah was defined as an efficient, devoted, proactive and popular officer.” In a letter to the family, his commanding officer wrote: “The energy and the confidence that he was enriched by were wonderful for fighters and commanders. In his memory, Tel Aviv University established a scholarship fund in the Department of Biology.
