Vega, Arad Avraham (Aki)

Son of Shimon and Rachel. He was born on the 3rd of Adar 5703 (March 7, 1955) in Sde Nehemia. He studied at the son of-Shemen Youth Village Elementary School and continued his studies at the Einstein High School. Aki was a good student. Although his teachers were not comfortable in his childhood, he was accepted by them and loved by everyone. He was connected to the life of the boarding school, had many friendships with the students who were in son of Shemen and was active in the social life of the youth village. Aki was a sports fan and excelled in the field of basketball and swimming, and even crossed the Sea of ​​Galilee several times. As a child, he learned to play the recorder, guided by teacher Hanan Eisenstadt in Daughter of Shemen, and later continued to study flute playing with Uri Shoham – first player in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He often participated in the dance company of the boarding school and played at various events and ceremonies. Aki was very attached to the youth village in son of Shemen, where he grew up and was educated, and when he traveled with his parents to Holland, he missed the youth village and eagerly awaited his return home. In his studies at the agricultural school, he integrated theoretical studies at a post-secondary level in agricultural work. He worked in the field and in the cowshed and was considered by his instructors as a dedicated, punctual and responsible worker. His neighbor, who was an old farmer, called him a “worker of divine grace.” Aki was drafted into the IDF in July 1973. After completing basic training he was sent to a pilot course and successfully completed the various stages of the course, and after eight months in the course he was transferred to an IAF transport unit as a loading supervisor. On 25.11.1975, Aki fell to the cemetery in son of Shemen, leaving behind his parents, two sisters and a brother in a letter of condolence to the bereaved family. His commander wrote: “Aki was a good and diligent supervisor, and he loved flying very much. He volunteered for every mission and did not settle for the tasks assigned to him. He was eager to do more and more, beyond what was required of him, and he was working on developing work methods, testing equipment in the unit and many other areas. He has been among the accomplices of the unit since its establishment and has gained a high place in the unit, among its friends who loved him and among its commanders who knew him well. “