Ehud Gordon

Ehud (Udi), son of Miriam and Binyamin, was born on 27 Nisan 5710 (14.4.1950) in Afula, and he was the twin brother of Hagai.

In 1955 the family moved to Kfar Mordechai. He did his elementary studies at the "Gedarot" school together with Hagai, his twin, and completed his high-school studies at the "Gedera" school, in the humanities track.

Udi was a man of books; he read avidly and knew a great deal, in almost every field. Yet he was slow and deliberate in his ways, entirely without ambition and without any desire to display his great knowledge. Physically he was delicate and slightly fragile, and in character he was reserved and withdrawn into himself. The two twins were completely different, both in appearance and in character. "If they had been strangers", said their father, "no relationship would have formed between them at all, but Ehud, who loved the family and attached great importance to peace in the home, maintained pleasant ties with the impulsive Hagai". In school Udi always came across as a lover of peace and as a child whose every act was done with careful consideration. "Had he come from a religious home", says his father, "Udi would have become a rabbi and a judge in Israel. It was always clear to me that Hagai, with his developed business sense, would look after the family's livelihood, while Udi would keep the peace of the home. The only trait that characterized the two alike was their stubbornness in carrying out things they were interested in".

Ehud was drafted into the IDF in mid-November 1968, and because of his high intelligence he was sent to serve in an armored reconnaissance unit. Only when they saw his stooped back did they understand that he was not the "fighter" type, and then he was transferred to serve in the armored battalion in which Hagai served. During his service he completed a tank drivers' course, a tank commanders' course and a tank specializations course.

During the War of Attrition he served on the Southern Front and with his unit found himself in extremely difficult situations. "Udi was never rattled by shelling", his friends recall. "We called him the king of the indifferent".

Only toward the end of his service did his commanders understand how to get the best out of this talented young man. He was sent to a rear base and engaged in preparing instructional booklets for armored corps soldiers. This was his field. He excelled in theory and knew the tank inside out. For that reason he was very successful in this role.

In mid-November 1971 Ehud returned to civilian life and worked at various jobs. His father tried to get him a job at the "Purchasing Organization". Udi had an excellent, quick grasp, and within a few days he understood the principles of bookkeeping. But his terrible handwriting worked against him, as did his character, which could not get used to boring routine.

Then he came to the "Elta" factory, and there he was very content. He also became well versed in the science of beekeeping. Not for a moment did he cease to think and to seek innovations for making work more efficient in the beehive, in repairing cars and in assembling complicated instruments at the factory. His fellow workers at "Elta" say of him: "We were looking for a team member for a project. We wanted someone qualified in the main fields. It was hard to find. In the autumn a young man joined us, with long arms and the gait of an older man, and we did not know then that our search had ended. But this young man absorbed everything: lessons in drafting, organization, technology. On every subject that was unclear, he would bring a book with him, talk and argue. We saw at once that the new team member was mature in life-wisdom, and together we developed the new project".

A short time before the war broke out, Ehud conceived an idea for a certain innovation in the beehive. At that time he was also about to complete the project he was working on at "Elta". He enrolled in a production management course, and when he passed the entrance exam successfully, his joy knew no bounds. "He was always optimistic", says his father. "He used to say to me: Dad, don't worry, everything will be all right".

When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Amos, the eldest brother, was called up to his armored unit on the Golan Heights. His sister Ada was a soldier in compulsory service in the Air Force, and the twins, Hagai and Ehud, both fought on the Southern Front; both met their deaths in the area of the "Chinese Farm".

Ehud's unit went into battle already on the first day of the war. On 13 Tishrei 5734 (9.10.1973) the unit stood against a large Egyptian force in the Hamadia compound. In one tank sat four sergeants: Amir, Aharon, Ze'ev and Ehud, all experienced tank commanders, who divided the roles in the tank among themselves. From behind the "Television" strongpoint many Egyptian tanks came out, moving toward our forces, and a tank-against-tank battle flared up in full force. The Egyptians had more tanks, and all the unit's attempts to stop the enemy's attacks came to nothing.

"We feared that Egyptian tanks would reach the slope in front of the compound", related one of the force's commanders. "It was dead ground, and any attempt to locate them there meant enormous danger to every tank". The commander's fear proved justified. The attacking tanks succeeded in reaching the slope and disappeared from the sight of our tank crews.

There was no escaping the hard decision: the commander ordered the tank platoon to climb onto the ridge and go out on sorties down the slope in order to stop the Egyptians. The tank of the four was in the force that went out to carry out the mission. When they reached the slope it became clear that the enemy was waiting for them. Ehud's tank remained last in the field and set fire to Egyptian tanks that were trying to climb up to the ridge. The outcome of the battle was almost clear in advance. In the end one of the Egyptian tanks succeeded in hitting the stubborn Israeli tank. Its four commanders, Ehud among them, were hit and fell.

He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery at Gedarot. He left behind a mother, a father, a brother and a sister. After his fall he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Hagai, Ehud's twin, fell on the twenty-second of October opposite the "Chinese Farm", not far from the place where his brother fell.

For his courage in battle, Ehud was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (Itur HaMofet), and this is the text of the citation: "On 9 October 1973, during the Egyptian enemy's attack on our forces' deployment at 'Hamadia', several of the enemy's tanks succeeded in reaching the slope of the hill on which our forces had entrenched themselves. As it was impossible to locate the enemy, a forward tank platoon was sent toward the enemy. The tank from which Staff Sergeant Ehud, of blessed memory, fought, whose crew consisted of tank commanders only, remained last in the field, fought the enemy tanks, and succeeded in hitting several tanks, until it was hit and its crew was killed. In this act the crew members displayed devotion to the objective, courage and exemplary conduct".

A piece in his memory was written in the memorial booklet for the fallen published by the Gederot Regional Council; two articles were published in the press, one telling of the deed of the four sergeants, and the other telling of the two twins.

Hanan Shadmi also wrote a poem in memory of the twins, and two of its stanzas say: Hagai and Ehud, twins./ Two came out of the womb, brothers./ A brother at the heel of his brother./ Mine he is, Hagai, his mother called him,/ and Udi, his second, he too is mine./ Two came out of the womb,/ Hagai and Ehud, twins.// Two set out on the road, brothers./ A brother at the shoulder of his brother./ Mine he is, Hagai, war cried out,/ and Udi, his second, he too is mine./ Two set out on the road. Hagai and Ehud, twins.