Families and friends have paid tribute to IDF reservist, Warr. Ofc. Ofer Yung, 39, and Sergeant Major (Res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, who were killed in a Palestinian terror attack near the village of Tayasir.
By Rachel Avraham
Families and friends have paid tribute to IDF reservist, Warr. Ofc. Ofer Yung, 39, and Sergeant Major (Res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, who were killed in a Palestinian terror attack near the village of Tayasir, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the report, Friedman, who worked for an electricity company, left behind his wife Gal and their six children. Arutz Sheva reported that Yung left behind a wife and two children.
Friedman’s sister Shomit told army radio that her brother was an “amazing father and husband” and a “sensitive, caring and loving man. He symbolized all that is good in this nation.” According to the Jerusalem Post, Uri Glasner, a friend of the Friedman family, told 103FM that wherever Friedman went, “he only did good. A man who volunteers wherever possible, whether it’s inside the kibbutz or outside the kibbutz.” His volunteerism was exemplified by his choice to serve in the reserves at age 43, Glaser added.
Dana Jung, wife of the late Yung, told IDF radio: “Ofer was the most amazing person on earth. I do not say this because he was ours. Everyone said that around him when he was alive. People would see him and their eyes would sparkle. His work was his life. He wanted to do well to the world and did not care about economics. He had an excellent heart and no ego. It was impossible to say a bad word about him.”
According to Dana, “I walked around very proud for I knew I had found the most amazing person in the world. Just a few days ago, we returned from a weekend in the dessert, celebrating our birthdays. Ofer had his birthday on February 1 and I on February 2. We had a wonderful connection and complete. We were wonderful together and had so much fun together. Everything is so fresh. I am speaking, but I am not digesting it.”
In the continuation of the interview, she stated that he did not live in fear, and assured he that even though he was not in a quiet area, we check the area thoroughly “He used to hug me and say warm words to calm me down.” He did warn her that he was working in a dangerous area in the reserves, but promised her that he was careful.
She later on told Arutz Sheva: “Ofer served in three rounds of reserve duty. He also had an independent business and he was working alone. He also managed an environmental department. He was an engineer from the Technion. So many procedures had to be arranged and he encountered many difficulties, but he still chose to go and contribute his part.” According to Arutz Sheva, during the war, he served about 200 days of reserve duty, including a round of 40 consecutive days.
According to the testimonies of his comrades in the unit, Ofer led the IDF force when the shots were first heard at the checkpoint. “He was a squad commander and he knew his squad. He said, ‘Come on, there are shots, we have to get organized,'” Dana described to Arutz Sheva. “He saw Friedman lying on the ground and he came to pull him in, when he was hit with a barrage of gunfire. Ofer had a spark that made everyone around him just love him. He was phenomenally clever; he had zero ego. Whenever someone tried to convince him otherwise, he would always say, ‘You need to understand his side as well, try and breathe.’ He made me a much better person.”
Arutz Sheva noted that Dana was forced to explain to her two-year-old son about his father’s death. “The city officer explained to me that I must say that his father had died and that he would never be coming back. I went into his room and told him, ‘Ori, I want to talk to you for a minute.’ He really understood and nodded ‘no’ with his head. He put his head on me and hugged me. Ofer left me two amazing treasures – Oriki, who has got Ofer’s brains and Eitan who look just like Ofer when he was a baby.”
