In Memoriam of:
Yotam Ben Best
Age: 24
From: Bat Hefer
In Loving Memory of the Innocent Souls Taken Too Soon. United in peace, their light shines on in the hearts left behind. October 7, 2023, a day of sorrow, but their memories guide us toward a hopeful tomorrow.
Captain Yotam Ben Best, z"l, an Inspector in the Multidimentional Brigade and originally from Bat Hefer, was killed less than a week before his planned release from the IDF. He was part of a team that advanced on the Hamas terrorists and managed to free some hostages, but then he took a bullet over the ceramic vest. Yotam was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His father, Benny, said: "I love him so much. I still can't talk about him in the past tense. I can't digest that our child, the child in the order we received as a gift, is gone."
His father, Benny, said: "I love him so much. I still can't talk about him in the past tense. I can't digest that our child, the child in the order we received as a gift, is gone."
Yotam, grew up in Bat Hefer. He finished a theoretical course and studied in the sports major in Emek Hafer. From a young age, he played tennis and even won many championships and trophies.
"Tennis was his main hobby," says his father. "He was a boy who set goals for himself and went for them and succeeded. This was also the case with his military service. He always dreamed of reaching the cherry blossoms and went through the formation and the training course as a fighter. When the decision came to establish a ghost unit, a multidimensional unit, he went for it. My son, who was a talented, serious supervisor who didn't cut corners, went through a training course there and went to an officer's course. Unfortunately, he is not only among the first in this unit but also the first soldier in this unit to be killed.
"Tennis was his main hobby," says his father. "He was a boy who set goals for himself and went for them and succeeded. This was also the case with his military service. He always dreamed of reaching the cherry blossoms and went through the formation and the training course as a fighter. When the decision came to establish a ghost unit, a multidimensional unit, he went for it. My son, who was a talented, serious supervisor who didn't cut corners, went through a training course there and went to an officer's course. Unfortunately, he is not only among the first in this unit but also the first soldier in this unit to be killed.
Yotam was supposed to participate in the ceremony of awarding the rank of captain this Wednesday and was supposed to be released on Thursday, after receiving an outstanding officer award for two years in a row. He had many plans for the days after his military service. He was supposed to undergo an exercise in the United States the week before his release, He wanted to go to England with me to watch a football game together and start studying for psychometrics. Now all these things will not happen to my child.
Yotam's friends told us that he was an exemplary officer, who was a leader and an investor. That he would sit until the wee hours of the night to prepare the tasks and find a few hours to invest in psychometric studies. He was a true leader who always helped and took care, really a model of admiration and imitation.
On Friday, when he came to do laundry. We sat with him over coffee and talked. He told about the big trip he wanted to take. He always helped and was involved, not only for his brothers but also for his grandparents. He loved the family meals and was always there to help and organize. Even when he came on Friday to get ready for the trip, he kept asking what was going on with the brothers, how they were getting along and what could be done to help. This is our boy. A real leader who was always there for everyone."
