Roi Klein

Hero is such a wide term. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes from young children to animals to soldiers to rich CEO's of companies the dictionary definition of a hero is - "A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities". As I see it, there are many types of heroes; those who become heroes simply by persisting through a difficult life, those who inspire, and those who save lives. In this essay, I would like to write about a man who encompassed all those traits.

Roi Klein was born July 10th, 1975 in Raanana, Israel to Aharon and Shoshana Klein who were Holocaust survivors. Roi was a bright young boy, he was creative and intelligent. He loved acting and, math and science. As a teenager he developed a love for hiking especially in Israel through the mountains and rivers. He also always found time for Torah (bible) reading. A good friend of his Netanel Elyashiv eulogized him: "Roi, you had so many good traits. There is no good trait or quality that you hadn't acquired. God generously shared with you from all the goodness that can be found in mankind: Wisdom and charm, valor and joy, humility, purity and a healthy sense of humor. Atop of all these, I don't have to mention that all who encountered you couldn't not notice your rare and radiant personality. Although you were capable of projecting a stern, sometimes even tough, appearance when necessary, everyone in your close vicinity quickly revealed how warm is the heart that beats inside you, how soft and gentle is your inner self."

There is a mandatory army draft at the age of 18 in Israel. Roi was drafted to the army in August of 1994. He joined an elite unit ('Orev') of paratroopers. In February of 1995 the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) created a small and very skilled unit for guerilla warfare to help fight Hizballah in the southern parts of Lebanon. Roi's crew was selected for this unit along with others; he spent most of his service with his specific unit named 'Egoz'. Even during the army Roi tried his best to find time for learning Torah. At the age of 25, in 2000, Roi got married to Sara Sjalin; together they had two boys- Gilad and Yoav.

At the start of 2006 Roi got called back to the army and became deputy commander of Golani. he got called back to the army to help fight in the second Lebanon war. Though this position was different from his previous one he quickly adapted. During the Battle of Bint Jbeil, a hand grenade was thrown over the wall that was between Hizballah militants, and Klein and his men. He jumped on the live grenade to save his fellow soldiers; before he jumped he managed to hand over his communication device to a different soldier. As he jumped on the grenade he said the Jewish prayer, Shema Yisrael. This action took so much courage - Roi Klein died on the 26th of July 2006 at age 31. Although, he knew there was no surviving this , he did it, he did it to save his fellow soldiers. Roi Klein is the very definition of a hero; A man who sacrificed it all to save others. 

Roi's story has inspired me to try to make the right decisions- brave split second and smart decisions. Roi did not only make a brave split second decision but he also made a very smart decision by giving his communication device to someone else before his death, without that device his fellow soldiers would not have been able to continue fighting. I hope that my life will never include having to make a life and death decision such as Roi had to make, but his influence has definitely left its mark on me. When making decisions later in life I will think of Roi. I know I will think "What would Roi do?"