Hillel, son of Gabi and Moshe, was born on November 12, 1953, in Tunis, Tunisia, and immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1955. He studied at the Ehrlich Elementary School in Tiberias, at the Geulim School in Ashdod, and completed his studies at the Boyer High School in Jerusalem, Hillel was a gifted student and was awarded the prestigious high school for gifted children. He participated in traditional marches, and twice his class won first prize. He was a sports fan and excelled at swimming, table tennis and soccer. In this industry, he also helped and trained his friends more than once. He had a collection of stamps, which he was devoted to for a long time, and he loved to read especially poetry. He participated in solving quizzes about knowledge of the country and solving crosswords, and several times he won prizes. Hillel was cheerful and mischievous, a great entertainer would laugh out loud and relieve any stress by saying a smart statement. His friends nicknamed him “Hugo” and “Gogo”. He was very sociable, kind, always willing to help others. During his studies in Jerusalem he volunteered to work in the fire department. He was very sturdy, healthy-fleshed, with a great appetite, great physical strength and iron arms, glasses and a thick mustache and brown hair. When he finished high school, he went to France for two months, until he was drafted into the IDF. Hillel was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in early February 1972 and was assigned to the Artillery Corps during his service in the army. He was assigned to an artillery unit in the Golan Heights as an artillery officer, after having previously served in Sinai and participated in the operation in Lebanon. According to his commander, he was “a model soldier, admired by his commanders and subordinates, quiet, polite and very acceptable.” His comrades-in-arms wrote that he “controlled the material, helped the needy, first in the volunteers, ran first for every operation, was happy for every activity, hated wars and served in the army only out of recognition of duty.” During the Yom Kippur War, Hillel participated as an artillery officer in the difficult battles to stop the Syrians. On the sixteenth day of Tishrei 5740 (October 12, 1973), his unit shelled the positions of the Syrians in the Beit Zan sector, as a cover for the advance of our forces inside Syrian territory. According to his comrades-in-arms, Hillel was constantly with him, At a rapid pace, until the position was hit by a direct hit from a shell and Hillel was killed when the Sabbath began. He was brought to eternal rest in the Ashdod cemetery. Survived by his parents, brother, and sister. After his fall, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “I remember him, in his quiet and friendly figure, so beloved to his friends. Hillel’s parents established a library and a reference room in his name in the Achdut elementary school in Ashdod; In the Boyar School in Jerusalem, a monument was erected in memory of Hillel and the other students of the Mossad who fell in battle. The monument is connected to the story of Hillel’s friend. When they took the bus to the Golan Heights on the eve of the war, Hillel was happy and joking. He told one of his friend: “Yarkoni, do not forget that my name will appear on the counter in the school.” After he fell in battle, Yarkoni went and told the principal of the Boyar School, and he arranged for the monument to be erected.
