St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi

Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi, 21, of Kiryat Ono was one of six soldiers killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah. Several terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six soldiers and injuring one.

Tamir was the eldest son of Yair and Rachel Atsmi. He attended the Shilo religious school in Kiryat Ono, and completed his high school studies at the Rogozin High School in Or Yehuda.

Tamir believed in peace, love and wisdom. On one of the walls of his room Tamir drew the symbols of his beliefs. On another wall the words of a song of "Paradise Lost" - the band he dearly loved: "There's no rule that says you have to cry alone. Just find the strength to help you carry the load." These words also served as his life motto.

Tal, Tamir's cousin, said that he had a lot of dreams and plans for the future, and that he was artistically very gifted, in both drawing and sculpturing. "He was highly motivated and was always the first to volunteer for any task. He was a responsible person, serious and thoughtful, and loved animals and nature. Before beginning his army service, he took a job in a factory because he didn't want to be a burden on his parents," said Tal.

After his army service, Tamir planned to travel to Scandinavia and Japan, and in the future to study at the Bezalel Art College in Jerusalem.

St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi was buried in the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel-Aviv. He is survived by his parents, Yair and Rachel, his sister Sivan (18), and brother Yonatan (15).