"I wasn't even at the funeral because of my role in the army, I half repress the fact that he fell," Tomer Dar, 22, said of his friend, Sergeant Major (res.) Ben Zussman, who fell in the Gaza Strip yesterday.
They were three good friends who studied together in the same class at the state-religious Himmelfarb high school in Jerusalem – the late Aner Shapira, the hero who threw grenades back from the shelter where young people from the party were hiding in bad guys, until the ninth grenade killed him; Hirsch Goldberg-Poland, who was abducted with an amputated hand to Gaza; and Sussman, z"l, who was laid to rest yesterday. In addition, the school lost its graduates Lieutenant Ariel Reich, Staff Sergeant Shahar Friedman and Staff Sergeant Dvir Barazani in the war.
Aner Shapira's battle with the terrorists at the end of which he was killed
"We were fortunate to have such heroes in the class," says Eliyahu Nahari, 22, who studied with Ben in grades <> through <>, and tells of a friend who was the heart of the class. "Everyone felt Ben was their best friend. He gave everyone the feeling that he was loved, even those who were less socially accepted. Always with a smile.
"Ben was a champion athlete, a professional ping pong practitioner, a winner of competitions. In football everyone always wanted him on their team, not necessarily because he was the best but because he was fun to play with. He created a good atmosphere for the team."
Remembering Together
Tomer says that he learned his devotion to the goal and faith in the path from his friend since kindergarten. "He did that in everything – whether in training or believing that we should serve the country as much as possible. Always fighting to do his best. Even now, in Gaza, he is fighting to move to a more forward position. Despite all that he succeeded in everything he did, he was humble, always respectful of his parents, always remembered where he came from. I'll take that from him as a lesson too."
"Champion athlete". Ben (right) and Tomer, photo: None
Elijah remembers that when he was hospitalized during high school, Ben visited him many times. "It made me stronger, I don't know if I would have gone through it any other way."
He remembered a typical story for Ben, whom he would never forget. "When I was in the hospital, Ben arranged a Champions League screening night for me in the ward. I thought I'd watch it on my own, but he surprised me and brought a lot of friends. Managed to sneak drinks and refreshments, and we sat there 10 friends watching the Champions League. All this so that I don't see it alone. It was crazy."
Ben and Eliyahu traveled a lot together and accumulated experiences, but also in the school routine Ben is fondly remembered. "He loved to learn, he had fun coming to school. His attitude towards teachers was always perfect, he respected every teacher. It was fun to study with him for exams, helped those who needed it."
Eliyahu (left) and Ben, on one of the trips, photo: None
In your layer there is a kidnapper, Hirsch, and now two dead - Aner and Ben.
"It's not just the layer. In seventh and eighth grades, we were all in the same class. It's hard to suddenly see the layer so many times in a kind of reunion, in places we would never want to meet. We already know by heart the way to the new plots on Mount Herzl. But we remember together and strengthen each other. We also meet the teachers on the same occasion, and they also contribute to our strength."
Your period picture is missing so many people right now. How do you deal with it?
"They are not lacking - on the contrary, now they are even more prominent than the rest. We were fortunate to have such heroes in class, people we would laugh and have fun with. Now we understand even more the privilege we had to be with them all these years."
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