The son of Arnon and Osnat, brother to Yuval and Raz.
He fell on October 7, 2023, during the cursed Saturday of the terrorists’ infiltration into the border communities.
Omer, the deputy company commander in the 51st Battalion of Golani, was on patrol by the fence early in the morning and was called with his command post to respond to the terrorist infiltrations. After a battle in which they managed to thwart some of the attackers, Omer was killed along with two of his soldiers. He was found in death with empty magazines, except for the last magazine, which contained a few remaining bullets.
Omer was a beloved commander to his soldiers. As a platoon commander, he took charge of the frontline company that was in a difficult state, and with his personal charm, he managed to transform them into the battalion’s outstanding platoon, achieving the highest average scores in the Bar-Or test.
As a teenager, he was a talented athlete and especially loved soccer. He was a fan of Real Madrid and, in Israel, Maccabi Haifa. He played on the volleyball team of the Ma’ayan-Shahar school and soccer for Hapoel Gali Givat Hayim. He often won the ping-pong championship of his kibbutz, Givat Hayim Meuhad.
Omer was a principled, modest, and slightly shy young man, but in the kibbutz, he was the center and glue of his group of peers.
In Golani, he had a challenging start as he wanted to join the reconnaissance unit or Egoz. Despite his good results in the selection process, he was assigned to the 51st Battalion for battalion improvement.
Despite his dissatisfaction with the assignment, Omer quickly integrated successfully with his fellow platoon members and later with his soldiers, who fell in love with him as he did with them.
From the eulogies of his soldiers and comrades:
“When they say that God takes the best, they are talking exactly about you. The best, the strongest, the bravest, the most leader-like, the most principled—everything…”
“I saw a person with such great strength and such great humility, a command that was hard to miss. The soldiers looked up to you with admiration… It was clear to everyone, these are the lions of Wolf. There was no and will never be a better platoon than yours in the battalion. You were and will always be number one.”
After Omer’s death, it was unexpectedly revealed that, in addition to everything else, he also knew how to write. Three songs he wrote were found with him, one of which, “Where Are You Going,” describes death and the soul’s departure from the body and was set to music by Rami Kleinstein.
Omer, our beloved, may your memory be blessed.
