UNSUNG HEROES



This week is almost the culmination of the “most Israeli time of year” – we still  have “Jerusalem Day” and Shavuot on the horizon. Coming after the festival of Passover - a particular Israeli phenomenon is the sudden transition from Remembrance Day, dedicated to our fallen soldiers, to Independence Day. From a day of national bereavement to the very next day - the celebrations of the Day of Independence. This year it will be the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel.

Almost every family in Israel knows personally a fallen soldier or victim of terrorism. There are a number of soldiers, however, who transcended the personal and became national symbols of heroism.

One in particular stands out. Major Ro’i Klein, deputy commander of the prestigious Golani Brigade, was killed during fighting with Hizbullah guerrillas in the Lebanese war in  July, 2006.The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Yaniv Asor led Company A and Ro’i Klein, his deputy, took charge of Company C. After taking up positions inside homes in the center of the village, Klein’s men spotted a number of Hizbullah guerrillas moving towards them. The guerrillas threw grenades at the soldiers, killing two.

Meanwhile, Klein was inside a home from where he was in touch with Asor and issuing orders to the other squads. Understanding that Company C had walked straight into an ambush, Klein sprinted out of the house, went to the nearby wall and began overseeing the evacuation of the dead and the wounded while firing and throwing grenades in the direction of the Hizbullah gunmen.

Then came the Hizbullah grenade. It landed next to Klein. According to soldiers who witnessed the incident, Klein, with only a split-second to think, jumped on the grenade, threw his body over it and absorbed the blast, thereby saving the lives of his soldiers. In his last seconds of life, Klein mustered the strength to shout “Shema Yisroel” (“Hear O’ Israel”), the prayer declared by Jewish martyrs throughout the generations.

Apart from Ro’i Klein, seven other soldiers from the battalion were killed during the battle. Klein was buried in the Har Herzl cemetery the next day, on his 31st birthday. He left a wife and two children. Major Klein, z”l was an enthusiastic saxophone and piano player and  also an observant Orthodox Jew. 


His story would go down in military history as one of the few cases when a commander sacrificed his life for others. Lt. Col. Asor said of his former deputy and friend: “He was a brave and focused commander and, at the same time, his love for the soldiers was the source of his motivation.” 




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