Zellner, Zvi

Son of Hanoch and Miriam. He was born on September 14, 1921 in Breslau, Germany. In 1938 he came to Israel, where he lived with his parents in Pardes Hannah, and joined the British army during the Second World War, serving in a commando unit in battles in North Africa and later in Italy. During the War of Independence, he enlisted in the IDF in the Beit Horon Brigade of the Etzion Brigade. He participated as a company commander in the battles of the Radar (where he was wounded), during the Kedem Operation, in the battles of the Mandelbaum Gate and as a force commander in the palace of the Governor; In this battle he was wounded as a company commander. After the War of Independence he became the deputy commander of the paratroopers in Israel. During the years of his service in the IDF, he contributed greatly to the personality and qualities he discovered: Among the various events of his military career since 1948 were several important events, most important of which was the establishment of the military boarding school near the Reali School in Haifa, He sought to ensure that the values ​​of education and academic studies were not compromised at the expense of strict discipline and military doctrine, and that he sought and found the right balance between the two, and indeed his apprentices felt him as a gifted commander, an inspiring educator and a mentor. And according to them, it continues to this day, and his actions spoke for him and praised him, even though He always behaved with patience and human approach to every person and with a healthy sense of every subject, and thus he knew how to acquire the Lev of his co-workers – both his subordinates and subordinates – out of loyalty to the cause, adhering to the task, He earned his career as a soldier, as an educator, as a commander, and as a husband and father, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel in the IDF General Staff, and his life was dedicated to the security of Israel. In his last years he has become a partner in a new, challenging task: cooperation between the State of Israel and its army and young and developing countries; To reach out to friendly countries that seek our advice and guidance in the areas of youth education and security matters. He took on this new role in the Ministry of Defense and became responsible for military assistance to these developing countries. As he had done throughout his years in the army, he had taken on the burden of this duty with great tolerance. In the last two years of his life, his illness increased, but he continued his work in his quiet, relaxed spirit, providing a friendly, calming and relaxing atmosphere around him – which made work easier for those around him and made the meeting comfortable and helpful. Zvi was endowed with an enlightened and charming spirit, and in his struggle with his physical pains he had the strength to overcome them – and his spirit was not suppressed. He was stubborn, but not stubborn, but for the purpose of adhering to the task; He was strict, but not for toughness, but for the efficiency of the work; He was humble and modest, and therefore his lifestyle was exemplary. As mentioned, in silence he carried his pain out of a desire to act and his work was not a source of livelihood and routine work, but a great and expensive mission. But he was still at work when his last day, on the 20th of Tevet 5727 (December 20, 1966), in which he died of his illness at the hospital and was put to rest at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul, left a wife and two sons.