Ben Nira and Rami. Was born on October 13, 1971, in Kibbutz Eilon, the eldest son of a family of three sons. Ofri was a charming and very curious child, with a quick perception, which was expressed in his ability to speak at the age of ten months. Speech was a central feature of his personality as a toddler. Ofri stood out for verbal ingenuity and surprising humor. He remembered the words of poems and books by heart, and did not forget anything he had heard and recorded. His curiosity was expressed in the instinct of the exploration and experiment of everything he found or received. He dismantled objects and put them together to know what was in them and how they worked. Ofri developed many hobbies as a boy and as a boy: He built “karting” from wooden boards and wheels, kites from reeds and colored papers, various sized vans, steam boats from tin cans with a lighted candle, growing herbs and researching them and matching them to Ayalon soil, (Origami) and invented several models, collected coins from all over the world and organized them in special albums, experimented with electricity, batteries and conductivity. He studied painting at the studio of Yaakov Hefetz (an artist, a member of Kibbutz Eilon), studied drama and participated in every possible play on the kibbutz and at the Ayalon educational institution. He liked to hear Hebrew songs and sing at every opportunity. He knew all Alterman songs and later the songs of Avraham Halfi Baal -Here. Ofri knew how to connect with people of all ages to satisfy his inexhaustible curiosity. His conversations revolved around a variety of matters: from politics to the human psyche and the philosophy of existence, from space science to contemporary art. He attended elementary school at Kibbutz Eilon and at the “Manor-Kabri Educational Coexistence” high school. From the young classes of elementary school, but especially in high school, his learning talent and the great knowledge he had gathered in his head were revealed. He became the best student of the class, the one who always knows the answers, who always asks the question that forces the teacher to think, and does not rush to “escape” from the lessons at the end until he receives an appropriate answer to his curiosity. Ofri was not afraid to be unusual in his love of studies, even when it was not so fashionable. His heart was bent on science and technology, and at the same time literature and art. When the classes in his class did not satisfy him, he turned to evening classes at the Open University of the “Mathnasium” course. All the while he maintained a great modesty, friendly relations, and mutual help to his classmates. This was the reason why he was unanimously chosen to be the representative of the class (11th grade, 1988) in the Hashomer Hatzair delegation to the death camps in Poland, which influenced his views as a Jew and an Israeli, loving his country and his people. (1990) at the “North Kinneret” of Hashomer Hatzair in Tel Aviv, and was highly regarded for his seriousness and investment, both from his apprentices and from the instructors who worked with him. Ofri decided to follow in the footsteps of his esteemed uncle, his father’s brother, who was a pilot, and was happy when he learned that he had been accepted for ” The course itself. In late August 1990 he enlisted in the IDF Ofri. But the things were not so simple: the allergy he suffered from did not allow him to fly jets, and he had to make do with flying helicopters. “The main thing is flying,” he said. His slender body was barely able to handle the basic training, but he did not give up. He spent two difficult years until he was able to wear the unforgettable wings in an unforgettable order. About a year and a half after completing the course, on 12.1.1994, Ofri was called to fly the GOC Central Command back from operational activity in the ValleyThe Jordan River. In the landing attempt, under severe weather conditions, his helicopter crashed into an antenna and crashed. Major General Ofir Kaufman and Major Assaf Asher were killed at the age of 22. Ofri was laid to rest in the Kibbutz Eilon cemetery and was survived by his parents and two brothers, Tzafrir and Carmel. : “I met a thorough, diligent student who had an indefatigable need to find out every badge and detail. Ofri was a man of thought and thought, every detail and every action was carefully thought out before it was carried out. One of the most prominent features I remember was his harsh criticism of himself … I admired his determination, his stubbornness and his ability to cope with the difficulties and to step forward. Ofri was happy when he stood on the parade ground and received wings. He came to this by virtue, in his own right … Ofri made good connections with all the populations and was popular and popular. We valued him as a true friend. “
