First Sergeant Major Ilan Lanziztsky
Ilan did not want to be photographed. He believed that whoever was photographed during the army stayed within the picture. His mother, Galia, says that since he was killed, they have been busy with documentation. “Ilan was a quiet boy and in the first six months of his life, he didn’t make a sound. I was worried about him but after six months, he made his voice known in a big way. He was a happy and mischievous child that loved to help others and he was very socially active. He was very talented technically and even at age four he would walk around with a screwdriver and try to take apart objects. When he went into the army, he really wanted to serve in Lebanon and did everything to get there. He always told me how amazing the people were there and how beautiful it was there and how much more dangerous it was on the roads, and that gave me a lot of security. When they came to tell us that Ilan was missing, I still had hope that they would find him. I thought there was still a chance but in the afternoon they already told us that they identified him. Today I go up to his grave three times a week. If I don’t go, I feel that I’m not okay. Until now, when I see somehow who reminds me of him with their looks, for a minute I am sure that I saw him. The memory of him is alive and still fresh and the yearning only gets stronger.”