St.-Sgt. Asher Zaguri

Feb 15, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Lee Nahman Akunis, 20, of Holon, was shot and killed by gunmen on Friday night at a roadblock north of Ramallah.

St.-Sgt. Asher Zaguri was to have gone home for Shabbat and not go out in the tank, but opted to change places with a sick friend, also from Shlomi. The third in a family of five children, he was born and raised in the western Galilee town, and was described as a good-hearted person who was always willing to help others. When he was 11, he agreed to stay with and help an elderly neighbor whose children had already left home.

Asher's teacher from elementary school said: "I was his teacher for two years, and my best memory of him is his smile. He was very close with his parents. He was a very creative and lovable boy."

His friend Yossi said: "Asher wasn't afraid of what was happening in Gaza, where he has been serving for the last year and a half. He always told friends that God would protect him."

St.-Sgt. Asher Zaguri was buried in Shlomi. is survived by his parents, Yehudit and Michael, two brothers, and two sisters.