Roi Klein
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Roi Klein
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | July 27, 1975 Ra'anana, Israel |
| Died | July 26, 2006 (aged 31) Bint Jbeil, Southern Lebanon |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service/ |
Israeli Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Battalion 51 of the Golani Brigade |
| Commands held | Deputy battalion commander |
| Battles/wars | 2006 Lebanon War *Battle of Bint Jbeil |
| Awards | Medal of Courage |
Roi Klein (Hebrew: רועי קליין; IPA: [ʁoˈʕi klain]; (July 27, 1975—July 26, 2006) was an Israeli major in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces (and one of its most highly decorated soldiers) who died during the 2006 Lebanon War.[1] Klein was killed in the Battle of Bint Jbeil after jumping on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers.[1]
Contents
Early life
Klein was born in Raanana, Israel. His parents, Aharon and Shoshana Klein, were Holocaust survivors.[2] His father's side originated from Germany and fled to Palestine at the onset of World War II.[3] Most of his mother's family was killed in the Holocaust.[3]
Klein studied Industrial Engineering and Management at Ariel University Center of Samaria, and graduated with honors.
Klein lived in a home he built on his own in the Israeli outpost of Hayovel, near Eli, Mateh Binyamin. He was married to Sara and had two sons: Gilad and Yoav.[4]
Israel Defense Forces
Klein began his IDF service in the Paratroopers Brigade but later transferred to the Golani Brigade's Egoz Reconnaissance Unit.[citation needed] In 2002, Klein received a Chief of Staff Citation for his conduct during an ambush near Nablus in which five Palestinian militants were killed.[citation needed] At the time of his death, Klein was the deputy commander of the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade.[5]
Battle of Bint Jbeil
During the Battle of Bint Jbeil, a hand grenade was thrown over the wall that was between Hezbollah militants, and Klein and his unit. Klein told his men "Klein's dead, Klein's dead" and subsequently jumped on the live grenade and muffled the explosion with his body. The soldiers reported that Klein recited the Jewish prayer, Shema Yisrael, as he jumped on the grenade.[2][3][4] According to The Telegraph he yelled "Long live Israel",[5] although this was probably a misinterpretation of "Shema Yisrael". He died one day before his 31st birthday.[2]
Legacy
Roi Klein became a symbol for heroism in Israel. A new school in Netanya and Raanana have been named after him.[6]
For his actions during the war Klein received the Medal of Courage posthumously.[7]
Akiva Eldar of Haaretz questioned the hero status of Klein because he had lived in an illegal outpost in the West Bank. Eldar asked how an officer "who breaks the law and ignores a court order" can serve as a model for his soldiers.[8]
In July 2009, the Israel High Court of Justice ruled to demolish the home of Roi Klein, where his family was residing, among 11 homes in Eli.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Netanya weekly, 22/08/2006 (Hebrew)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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- Articles with Hebrew-language external links
- Articles containing Hebrew-language text
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010
- 1975 births
- 2006 deaths
- Deaths by hand grenade
- Israeli Jews
- 2006 Lebanon War
- Israeli military personnel killed in action
- Israeli settlers
- Recipients of the Medal of Courage
- Burials at Mount Herzl
- People from Ra'anana
