Shamai Kaplan

Son of Shmuel and Devora. Born on 20 Shevat 5699 (9.2.1939) in Tel Aviv.

He studied at the "Yahalom" elementary school and continued at the "Ohel Shem" high school in Ramat Gan. After finishing tenth grade there, he moved to the "Kadoorie" agricultural school.

He belonged to the Scouts movement. He loved sports and played a great deal of basketball. He was very fond of music, played the accordion, and also wrote songs. He belonged to the Gadna.

From May 1957, when he was drafted into the IDF for regular service, he remained in the army until the day he fell in battle. He completed tank commanders' course after finishing basic training with distinction. Afterward he completed the armored officers' course. He served as a platoon commander, and also as a platoon commander in the officers' course; he was a deputy company commander, a battalion operations officer, and afterward a brigade operations officer. From that post he moved to command a tank company, and finally he was a senior instructor in the armored officers' course. In the Armored Corps he became a veteran officer and reached the rank of Major.

In the Six-Day War Shamai commanded a tank company in the battle for the Rafah positions and led his company in the assault on the Khan Yunis compounds, sitting in the tank with half his body outside the turret. When he received the order, he raised his hand to confirm that he had received it, and a bullet struck his hand. But he would not agree to be evacuated for medical treatment, and carried out the mission as though nothing had happened. He went on fighting in this way, in tremendous pain from his wounded hand, did not abandon his unit, and took part in all its battles as it advanced along the axis to Ismailia, commanding his company with daring and courage.

On the fourth day of the fighting, 29 Iyar 5727 (8.6.1967), Shamai was hit in a battle with enemy armor and destroyed them. Exploiting his success in the battle, he continued to advance with his company and pursued the retreating enemy. Finally, Shamai's company ran into an ambush by an Egyptian tank brigade west of Bir Gafgafa. Nothing could be detected of this ambush, which lay in the channels between the hills on both sides of the road, and in this battle Shamai's tank was hit by a shell and he met his death.

He left behind a pregnant wife and a small son; his daughter was born about a week after her father fell. He was brought to burial in the emergency military cemetery in Be'eri, and after some time was moved to his final resting place in the military cemetery at Kiryat Shaul.

His participation in the battles was exemplary, and was even commended by the Chief of Staff "for displaying courage and devotion to the objective."

In September 1968 and September 1969 a basketball tournament was held in his memory in Ramat Gan, on one occasion between the youth teams of "Maccabi" and "Hapoel" of Ramat Gan, and also between the Ramat Gan Scouts and the "Ohel Shem" Gymnasium, and the next day the adults' games took place with the participation of the "Maccabi" and "Hapoel" teams of Ramat Gan, the Armored Corps team, and the Ramat Gan Scouts. In the "Sefer HaGevura" (Book of Heroism), published by the Journalists' Association in Tel Aviv and the Bergen-Belsen survivors, a description of his last battle was included. In the book "Yad LaNofelim," published by the Ashkelon Municipality, several pages were devoted to his life story, his character, and some of his poems.