St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav

Nov 18, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav, 20, of Kibbutz Shomrat, was one of two soldiers killed by a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire at a checkpoint on the tunnel bypass road, linking Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion bloc.

Shortly before 6:00 AM, a Palestinian terrorist armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, hidden in a prayer rug, arrived at the checkpoint from Al-Khader, near Bethlehem, and opened fire on the soldiers manning the checkpoint. Sgt.-Maj. Shlomi Belsky, commander of the checkpoint and St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav was mortally wounded. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

Shaul Lahav grew up on Kibbutz Shomrat, where his parents, David and Yehudit, who immigrated to Israel from the United States in the early 1970's as part of a Shomer Hatza'ir core group ('garin'), had settled. He completed his studies with distinction at the Ofek Regional High School, majoring in science and physics. He excelled in sports, and like many on the kibbutz, played volleyball. Serving in the Nahal Brigade, Shlomi had recently completed training in securing IDF checkpoints in the territories.

Among his many friends was schoolmate Tal Beinin who related how Shaul had helped her when she had to receive treatment for cancer. "He helped me enormously and he took me for check-ups. I got very close to him during that period and I felt that whatever happened, he was always there for me," she said.

St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav was buried in the Kibbutz Shomrat cemetery. He is survived by his parents, David and Yehudit, his sisters Yael, 23, and Neta, 14, anbd brother Liron, 18, as well as his grandparents..