Zehavi Nir

Son of Avraham and Ilana. He was born on October 3, 1955 in Kibbutz Haon. When he was six, his family moved to Jerusalem, and he began his elementary studies at Beit Hakerem. Two years later, his family moved to Hadera, where he continued and completed his elementary studies at Kaplan School. He was later accepted to the military boarding school in Haifa, where he completed his high school studies in a biological track. By nature Nir was very sociable, involved in the social life of the boarding school and among its main students. His circle of friends was wide and everyone loved him because of his cheerfulness, his kindness, and because he was an exemplary friend, always ready to help others. After completing his studies at the boarding school Nir went on a trip to Europe. At the beginning of November 1973 Nir enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade and was sent to Sinai as a regular soldier. Afterward he served in the north of the country and took part in the War of Attrition with the Syrians. In July 1974, he completed an officers’ course, where he served as an instructor in an officers’ course, as commander of the recruits’ division, as a commanding officer, as an operations officer in the Jordan Valley Division and as an officer in the Operations Branch. As commander of a company in the Shaked reconnaissance unit, and recently as commander of a company of recruits in Battalion 50. He was an excellent officer and the extent of his responsibility and the manner of fulfilling the duties assigned to him were a thing in the unit. His subordinates loved him for his human attitude and for the sense of justice and decency that guided him in his behavior with them. In the course of his service, many members of the unit developed relations with him, and slowly gathered around him a large number of friends who loved him, respected him and appreciated him, as a person, as a friend, as an officer and commander. In November 1975 he completed his regular service and volunteered for a permanent army service. In April 1978, after taking part in Operation Litani, he asked to go abroad to visit his family, which he had done in France, because of his father’s role as an emissary to Agrexco in Marseilles. His application was approved and he spent about a month and a half with his family there. On his return, he returned to his position in the army and four days later, on the 4th of Sivan 5738 (9.6.1978), was killed in a battle in southern Lebanon and was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. “Nir was one of those who, at the time of the test, wanted him next to him. Nir was one of those who could count on him 100 percent. When they knew there was something hard to do, it was Nir who was chosen to be the first. I believe that in the operation Snir took part in, we prevented losses, and maybe we hired them even though the payment was heavy … “The battalion commander wrote:” Recently, Nir commanded a company in the battalion and performed this function in an excellent manner, It is impossible to describe in words the sad sorrow and grief that the unit has suffered since the death of Nir … “His commander in an officers’ course devoted the booklet” Man and the War, “which was published in 1981 in memory of Nir, and thus wrote: And courage and mature thought, and he served me, the older one, as a model and example of the young officer in the IDF. “