Sergeant Major Sagi Arazi
As a son in a traditional family, it was important for Sagi to protect his religious identity. His mother, Pela, tells that he never forced his opinion on the matter, but that the community knew to respect him. “Throughout his regular service, he turned the base club into a synagogue and when he stayed for Shabbat, his friends knew that they ‘had to’ wake up in order to make up a Minyan for Sagi.”
Moshe, his father: “Sagi very much loved home and came home at every chance he got. He was devoted to us and his siblings, Michael, Rona, and Yosef. He was a quiet man, good hearted, loved to play soccer and basketball, he was a student and counselor in Bnei Akiva and loved to travel. Even when he was doing his permanent [extended] army service, he would sit with his soldiers and it was important for him to create a pleasant and warm atmosphere around him.”
Pela: Sagi didn’t tell us where he was. We thought he was in the Golan Heights. I had a feeling he was in Lebanon but he made sure to deny that so that we wouldn’t worry about him. He called me every day. When we heard about the tragedy that evening, we didn’t think he was there. We spoke in the morning and he didn’t mention a flight. Slowly, the suspicions started coming up. Sagi didn’t call, Sagi wasn’t available. At about three o’clock in the morning, they came to tell us the news and immediately the house was full of people as if it was morning. Yosef was right before his Bar Mitzvah and I remember that he was introverted all night and didn’t get out of bed until the morning.
Moshe, his father: “Sagi very much loved home and came home at every chance he got. He was devoted to us and his siblings, Michael, Rona, and Yosef. He was a quiet man, good hearted, loved to play soccer and basketball, he was a student and counselor in Bnei Akiva and loved to travel. Even when he was doing his permanent [extended] army service, he would sit with his soldiers and it was important for him to create a pleasant and warm atmosphere around him.”
Pela: Sagi didn’t tell us where he was. We thought he was in the Golan Heights. I had a feeling he was in Lebanon but he made sure to deny that so that we wouldn’t worry about him. He called me every day. When we heard about the tragedy that evening, we didn’t think he was there. We spoke in the morning and he didn’t mention a flight. Slowly, the suspicions started coming up. Sagi didn’t call, Sagi wasn’t available. At about three o’clock in the morning, they came to tell us the news and immediately the house was full of people as if it was morning. Yosef was right before his Bar Mitzvah and I remember that he was introverted all night and didn’t get out of bed until the morning.