Published: December 13, 2023
Maya Haimson, a Master’s degree student at the Department of Marine Geosciences, is a volunteer in Etgarim Dive Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to diving with the disabled. Etgarim, which usually holds monthly dive activities in Eilat, continues its activity during these times. Maya shares her experience of participating in such a dive, commemorating the memory of a fallen IDF soldier. Below is the story of this event told by Maya:
From the words of the famous Israeli singer Yuval Dayan, “There are things that are truly important, it is the small details, sometimes you don’t need to speak. In the silence we found words.”
We at the Etgarim Dive Center continue to smile as much as possible and dive where it is possible. Dive clubs and guides in Eilat are working with the relocated citizens from the South and North of Israel on diving courses and activities. On the Saturday morning of 11 November, I participated in the first Mediterranean dive with the Etgarim Dive Center in the ruins of Caesarea port. This was a special dive, in memory of a fallen IDF soldier Adi Leon. A soldier in the Tzabar battalion, fallen in a battle in North Gaza, Adi was 20 years old.
Divers with disabilities testify that when diving they feel like any other person without a disability, they are mobile, they float in the water just like everyone else, reach anywhere on their own, and are full partners in the pleasure guaranteed to divers by being underwater. The pressure of the water makes the pain go away and helps the body to relax. The silence contributes to mental calmness and releases a person from daily distress – physical and mental. Divers who come out of diving claim that that night they can sleep without the painkillers they take every day. Etgarim Diving Center has been active for over 20 years, it is the organization authorized in Israel for training divers with disabilities. The importance of continuing the diving activities with Etgarim during these difficult times is the support and keeping up the community for the Etgarim members, the disabled, and volunteers.
Adi Leon, may his memory be a blessing, was a nephew of Orli Perlberg, a longtime member of Etgarim. Orli is a disabled veteran of the IDF. Adi was in Kfar Aza from 7 October for several days of fighting to save families and survivors of the attack. Adi’s Nammer military vehicle was the first of Givati’s and the IDF ground force vehicles to enter Gaza. Bravely, they were the spearhead. Adi gave his life defending the country he loved; he was a true Zionist. In his last letter to his parents, he wrote the following:
“I am leaving for this war with the knowledge that I may not return, but I believe with a full heart in what I’m doing. We do not have any other country, and now it’s my turn to defend it and to avenge the lives of our innocent citizens and soldiers, the babies, the elderly, and the women who are simply helpless against the Hamas inferno.
This is how my parents raised me and I believe in it.
I hope you will remember me.
Adi.״
The song has been produced in Adi’s memory, and it is available via the following link: https://m.facebook.com/yoav.asif/videos/270403792253834?_rdr.
Zohar Leon, Adi’s sister, and their cousins shared the recipe for his favorite chocolate cake, and have been receiving pictures of the cake made by many people reading his story. The recipe can be found here: https://13tv.co.il/item/documentary/worth-a-story/matkon-zikaron/b0fg9-903817355/?pid=7&cid=903817355
We, the members of Etgarim, mourn Adi’s loss, and the losses of so many others. May we return to peace and security soon, and may all the hostages be returned, not a moment too soon.
Xingyu Li, an international Master’s degree student, presented his study at the Israeli Association for Aquatic Sciences Annual Meeting in Tel Aviv among more than 300 scientists.
Elias Mizrahi, a second-year Master’s degree student supervised by the Head of the Department Prof. Revital Bookman, Dr. Nadya Teutsch (Geological Survey of Israel), and Dr. Tamar Guy-Haim (Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research), is working with zooplankton samples from Haifa Bay to measure concentrations of heavy metals. He is also busy with his hobbies – footvolley and soccer. Follow the link below to dive deeper into his journey.
Benjamin Ankiri, a first-year Master’s degree student supervised by Prof. Barak Herut and Dr. Eyal Rahav, takes part in an international joint sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, which both benefits his research and his hobby – Benjamin is a skipper in his free time. Follow the link below to dive deeper into his journey.
