Yehieli, Amit

Son of Yigal and Leah. Was born on August 22, 1951 in Baram and was the eldest son of the kibbutz, founded by Palmach veterans after the War of Independence. He grew up in the Galilee and developed with the kibbutz. He attended elementary school in Baram-Sasa, continued in the high school at Kibbutz Sha’ar Haamakim and completed his studies at the “Amakim” institution. He was a member and instructor of the HaShomer HaTzair youth movement and in Gadna Air and guided the Gadna air force in Tivon. During his many trips around the country, together with his friends in the movement and alone, he acquired a lot of knowledge of the country, geology and archeology, and absorbed the love of the country “through the soles of shoes.” In his free time he was involved in the construction and flying of models and the construction of aircraft models. When he was active in the Gadna Air Force, he successfully completed the Daya course, after completing his studies he worked for a while in the kibbutz at Kibbutz Bar’am and invested his energies, his Lev and his love in the work, and joined the IDF at the end of July 1971. At first he volunteered to serve in the Israel Air Force, He chose the Nahal route, which combines land work with army work, and graduated with honors from the rank of commander and officers’ course and was appointed commander of a platoon in operational employment. Amit, like his name, was a close colleague of his soldiers, and despite differences of opinion (some of his soldiers were graduates of hesder yeshivas) he was able to have very cordial ties with them. On 13 June 1973, a lieutenant fell in combat with a terrorist squad in the Birnit area and was brought to rest in his kibbutz Baram. In a letter of condolence to the family, the defense minister wrote: “Second Lieutenant Amit Yehieli gave his life for his homeland. His commanders appreciated Amit as an excellent commander who was willing to listen to his subordinates. His commander wrote about him: “A colleague never failed me during the six months that he was in the company.” Amit devoted himself to his soldiers with all his might. “He knew how to demand a lot from his soldiers and to give them all that was due.” Booklets in his memory, including a story through his life and things that were said and written by his friends, were published by Kibbutz Baram.