Lt. Eliel Ben-Yehuda

Lt. Eliel Ben-Yehuda
August 13, 2006 – Lt. Eliel Ben-Yehuda, 24, of Kfar Tavor, was one of
nine IDF soldiers killed in fighting with Hizbullah terrorists in southern
Lebanon.
24 years ago, Esther Ben-Yehuda sat shiva for her brother, Yossi Oliel, who
was a soldier in the Golani brigade and was killed in a battle near Beaufort
castle in southern Lebanon. During the shiva period, Esther gave birth to a
son and named him Eliel, after her brother.
Yossi Dola, the local council head of Kfar Tavor, said that, “When he was
born, they named him Eliel, rather than Yossi, because they wanted to fool
the Angel of Death.” But Eliel fell in battle close to the spot where his uncle
had been killed just before he was born.
Eliel was born to one of the founding families of the community. He was
raised and educated in the community and completed high school in nearby
Afula. When he was inducted into the IDF, he joined the same unit in Golani
where his uncle had served, and became the deputy battalion commander in
the commando unit. He traveled to South America after completing his army
service, and wanted to find work with the General Security Service.
Yaakov Shlesinger, a close family friend, said that, “Eliel was born while his
mother was in mourning. All his life, he tried to bring happiness during times
of sadness. His mother took him to all the places where his uncle had served.
She made sure to bring her son and all his friends food while he was in the
field. Whenever he would tell her that one of the soldiers was lacking
something, she would bring whatever was needed.”
Lt. Eliel Ben-Yehuda was buried in Kfar Tavor. He is survived by his parents
– Esther and Aryeh – and two brothers – Rotem and Gilad.
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www.onefamilyfund.org