A friend remembered

Letters

Editor: I want to tell you about a friend of mine who lost his life in the struggle for freedom in Israel. I want people to know what kind of person he was instead of just hearing his name on the news among those of other unknown fallen soldiers.

His name was Yaakov and, at the age of 23, in 2002, he came to Israel and enrolled in the same kibbutz course (ulpan) that I was in. He was the kind of guy who befriended everyone he met. He didn't judge people by how they looked or how old they were. He had a funny way of talking to people that would make anyone laugh when they heard him. "Hey buddy," he would call to everyone with his Yugoslavian accent. It was his signature that made him unique. He would always be giving health advice to people, it was one of his favorite conversations; like the right foods to eat in order to gain or lose weight, or the right workouts to do. He also loved to talk about the army a lot. Every day, he would exercise and get into shape because he was determined that one day he was going to be in one of the top units of the Israeli army and help in the struggle for the country's survival. No one could get in the way of his dream. He previously had served in the Serbian army; he was experienced in the ways of the military and was eager to join the Israeli army so that he could help protect the people he loved.

Yaakov's mother, a Jewish Serbian, remained in Yugoslavia along with his sister. His father, a Christian Croatian, died when Yaakov was 10 years old. Being a new immigrant to the country, he had no other family other than his adoptive parents. He was always asking questions about Judaism, at first they were simple, but after asking so many questions to everyone and gaining more knowledge about the matter, his questions became more and more difficult to answer. His interest in his Jewish roots grew, after being deprived of a Jewish life when he lived in a country that persecuted and prevented Jews from practising their faith openly.

Yaakov's desire to build a connection with his Jewish roots increased. He began to wear a yarmulke on his head as a sign of affiliation with the Jewish nation. One day, he asked the question about the process of getting a brit milah (circumcision). We all looked at him like he was crazy. What 23-year-old man in his right mind would go through the pain of this procedure? No one ever thought that he was seriously thinking of doing such a thing.

Then one day he told a story about seeing a religious Jew on the kibbutz handing out matzot. He jumped at this opportunity to ask about brit milah. The man threw his hands in the air with joy and arrangements were made for Yaakov to go to Jerusalem the next day.

When he returned from his journey, we saw how he was walking differently. Everyone poked fun at him for it. When asked whether it hurt, he would pretend it didn't, and he would stand there with a proud smile on his face. I believe that even though we made fun of him, he knew that we were all proud of him, and he felt like he was one of us and it was just another step to becoming closer to his people of Israel.

The ulpan ended and Yaakov's Hebrew still wasn't good enough to join the army. But being the persistent man that he was, nothing could get in his way. His persistence paid off, and he was soon to be one of the top soldiers of the Givati Brigade's unit, a very difficult unit to get into.

On Tuesday, May 11, 2004, Yaakov was one of the six soldiers blown up by a large mine underneath their armored personnel carrier. He was on an operation to demolish metal workshops used by terrorists to manufacture Kassam rockets and mortar shells in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza city.

The remains of Yaakov and his comrades were taken by the Palestinians and used as bargaining chips in an attempt to trade them for burial in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian terrorists from their jails.

I know that not all of you knew him, but I and many others did, and we are all proud to call him our friend. He fought for what he believed in and gave his life for the protection of Israel. He was taken from us too young and as tears roll down our faces, we are all missing him and he will always be in our hearts.
May he rest in peace.

Ayal Cassel
North Vancouver

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