Staff Sergeant Yotam Gilboa
Yotam served as a paramedic before his induction into the army, and dreamed of studying physics. His mother Leah said that, “Yotam was a one-of-a-kind boy. He was dedicated and always wanted to give and give. He knew how to give, but not how to take. I want him to be remembered for his good heart.” Yotam’s brother, an officer in the Air Force, found out his brother had been killed just before he was to leave on a mission to Lebanon. A neighbor said that, “Yotam was always his mother’s right hand.” Leah is the educational coordinator of the Kibbutz, and Yotam, who was a young and organized person, was always there to help with trips and other events organized for the children. Yotam was killed on Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 in southern Lebanon while fighting as part of an elite combat army unit against Hezbollah terrorists. He was 21 years old.