Zangwill, Raphael (Rafi)

Ben Sylvia and Tevel was born in Latvia on July 6, 1976. Rafi attended elementary school and the Jewish high school in Riga, a sportsman full of vitality and energy who liked to engage in various sports: playing basketball, learning He played ice skating, played tennis and especially liked to play chess, and achieved very respectable achievements in this field, and everything he did was very good: Rafi was not very talkative and was a quiet, smiling young man. Rafi learned Hebrew in an ulpan in Kibbutz Tzuba, and after six months he learned Hebrew well, After graduating from the kibbutz, Rafi moved to Jerusalem and in October 1995 began studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and living in the student dormitories, while Rafi worked for a living. In spite of everything, he was very successful in the psychometric test and was accepted to the Faculty of Economics and Statistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He began working evenings on guard duty, first at a private company and then at the university itself. This enabled him to spend more time studying. Despite the difficulties Rafi never complained. After two years of study he chose to enlist in the IDF and continue his studies after his service, and he wanted to contribute to the country as much as he could and serve in the combat unit. Rafi enlisted in the IDF, to the Givati ​​Brigade. Basic training lasted eight months and Rafi was among the best. On February 25, 2000, Rafi was killed in a battle in southern Lebanon, when a missile hit a position he kept at the Rotem outpost, and he was laid to rest in the military cemetery. On Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and was survived by his parents and brother. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, commander of his unit, writes: “Rafi served in the ‘Sabra’ battalion in the Givati ​​Brigade as a fighter and a machine gunner in the Spear Company. In his life, Rafi was an example and a symbol. A warrior and a friend who took care of all the evacuees at any time. His service of his battalion, his company, and his homeland were impeccable, and for this he was noted in his lifetime as an outstanding soldier and as a company model. Rafi’s immediate surroundings were always pleasant, and he gave his many comrades a sense of security and ability, achievement and readiness. His character was always loved, admired and accepted by his comrades in the company and kissed and appreciated by his commanders. It will be a comfort to you that Rafi was loved and talented and one of the best of our soldiers. “