Daughter of Dalia and Ilan. She was born on August 14, 1984, in Rishon Letzion. Rotem did not hurry out of the womb. She had been in her mother’s womb for forty-two weeks, and when it turned out that her intended date of birth falls on her brother Shlomi’s birthday, four years later, the mother decided to postpone the birth every day so that each child would have his special day. Rotem’s parents separated in her youth, and her mother remarried to Dr. Carlos Gruzman Rotem’s father, Ilan, was married to Meira Rotem was a special child with a bright smile, radiant with light and love, a happy man, a man of people. She grew up and was educated in Kfar Sava – in the Yitzhak Sadeh elementary school, in the “Shazar” junior high school, and in the school, where she grew up and grew up in Kfar Sava. High school “Katznelson”. While she was in elementary school, there were one or two of her friends who were not “accepted.” Rotem took them under her wing, nurtured them, and made sure they came to parties. Rotem was also involved in middle school: she volunteered to be a mediator, and was very proud of her important role. She later participated in volunteer activities against drug use. Rotem liked to work with people, and often spoke about her desire to be a future psychologist or a social worker. She wanted to study at Katznelson, and when she accepted it, it was only natural that she chose the social sciences track and studied psychology and sociology more intensively. Rotem loved the school very much, enjoyed the atmosphere, the company and the teachers, was in excellent contact with many of her classmates – and even with their parents, who often helped her. Sensitivity, caring and gentleness On the side of stubbornness, opinion and mental strength were Rotem’s outstanding qualities, and they guided her wherever she went. On her ninth birthday she greeted herself with the words: “To myself: You are cute, beautiful, sweet, nice and attractive, and most important – the biggest boss in the entire universe.” In her inner strength, her confidence and her uncompromising sense of justice, Rotem added special charm to every framework in which she took part. She always knew how to stand up to her, and when she set a goal before her eyes, she did not give up until it was achieved. She articulated her opinions and desires well, and if Gatha knew how to admit the mistake – and also to apologize. Rotem’s family is pleased with her – an exemplary daughter, a responsible and caring nurse, very connected to everyone – her parents, her brother Shlomi, the sisters – Lior, Stav and Adi, Roi – Carlos’s son and Meira’s daughters – Shelly and Maya. Rotem’s great love was for movies – from all styles and genres, television and movie films, dramas, comedies, love films – and even horror films. In all of them she watched the matter, recognized the messages, understood the symbols, and appreciated the artistic work. Rotem would sit for hours, taping and editing, and hundreds of videotapes were piled in her room. It was almost certain that she would have made a mark in the field. To this day, the huge collection of films in Hadera, in large drawers, is loaded and heavy. Her immense love, Rutham, was also expressed in another hobby she had developed at the age of ten – horseback riding and handling. In her house she raised rabbits and cats, and took care of them with devotion. Beautiful and shapely was Rotem, her hair was chestnut, her eyes were brown and her skin was snowy. She was a well-groomed and stylish girl, always up-to-date in contemporary fashion, and as someone who loved “the good life,” she knew how to use it well. The years of her lively youth were full of entertainment and pleasure-always surrounded by friends and friends, who stayed in her room until the wee hours of the night, curled up in the waterAnd watching films with proper refreshments … In food matters, Rotem was selective, until it reached a fashionable restaurant. Music was always in the background, of course, and the computer also devoted time. Rotem also loved going out, dancing and dancing at parties, sitting in cafes, playing bowling, and in the last year of her life she also had great love with her close friend, Ofer, whom she had known while vacationing in Eilat. In order to finance her pleasures, and being responsible and mature, Rotem worked as a saleswoman in the store – and even as waitress. Before she was drafted she went to Greece, and like everyone else, she dreamed about the big trip after the liberation. On 27 April 2003, Rotem enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, after completing her basic training course at the Golani Brigade base in the Carmel region, where she immediately liked the commanders and her friends. “Rotem was a lively and joyous girl,” said Captain Ruti Nir, Rotem’s commander. “The smile was always on her face. “Rotem loved the role, but the long journeys on buses that promised to serve in an open base were a burden on her.” These were the days of the second intifada, the days of the second intifada, Terror As a child, Rotem was aware of what was happening in the streets of the cities, and even then she was afraid that she would be involved in the attack, which was one of the reasons for Rotem’s decision after eight months of service. After much effort, she was transferred to the Tel Hashomer base, Where she was traveling to the base with her mother, but on the way home she had to make buses, but now that she was close to her home, Ofer, her family and friends, Rotem was happy and flourished. Rotem fell in a terrorist attack at the Geha junction on December 25, 2003, when Rotem’s light went out and she cut off the thread of her youth. It was Thursday, at the end of the working day. Rotem arrived at the bus stop on Jabotinsky Street in Petah Tikva and waited for the bus to Kfar Sava. A suicide bomber arrived in the crowded station, dressed in black and wearing an explosive belt. A few minutes later, at 18:20, when he saw that no bus was stopping at the station, the terrorist clung to a group of soldiers and detonated the explosive device on his body. “The sky was torn from this noise and the air was filled with a large mushroom,” an eyewitness said. Rotem was killed on the spot. The murderous attack at the Geha Junction broke a period of relative quiet in terror attacks and claimed the lives of three other people. Sergeant Noam Leibovitch, Corporal Angelina Shehirov and Edwa Fisher were among those killed. Dozens of people were wounded, some of them seriously. Rotem was nineteen and four months old. She was laid to rest in the Kfar Saba military cemetery. Many visited the family home during the shiva period on Rotem and sent letters of condolence. Various commemorative works were made in her memory, including a monument erected in a grove on Rotem Street in Kfar Saba, near the mother’s house. Ilan, Rotem’s father, set up a website with a photo gallery, Rotem’s life story and eulogies. URL: http://www.letamid.co.il/indexClient.asp?sitename=rotem. In the framework of the “Story of a Soldier” project, high school students prepared a work in memory of Rotem. In March 2007, Ness Technologies, a partner in the “Atidim for Industry” program and adopting a number of students each year, awarded a scholarship named after Rotem Weinberger. The Katzenelson School was an evening in memory of RotemA lecture was given to students in the social sciences. On the site of the school, Rotem is dedicated to a memorial page with letters of farewell to her friends and poems written in her memory. Page address: http://ks.hinuch.net/files/KATZA/memorial/v1n/ppage/p610rv.htm.
