סיפור חייו

Yigal Amster was born on October 8, 1953, in Haifa. He was the younger son of Holocaust survivors, Dr. Rose Ablov and Samuel Amster. Yigal attended the “Aliyah” Primary School in Bat-Galim and graduated from “Hugim" High School in his hometown. As a child, Yigal suffered from asthma and was often sick, though he always sought to conceal his illness and prove that he did not fall short physically from the rest of his classmates. Yigal became an active member of the Working and Studying youth movement in Haifa, the HaNoat HaOved VeHalomed, where he served as a member of the cultural committee, and participated in amateur performances by the youth movement drama department. In high school Yigal volunteered with Magen David Adom. He also completed a particular course for paramedics and until the day he was drafted into the army, he continued to volunteer with Magen David Adom on Saturdays and holidays. Yigal registered over 250 emergency ambulance rides. He was recruited to the IDF in mid-November 1971. Yigal made great efforts to hide his medical condition. However, after months of basic training, his commanders noticed that each run and each stay in dusty places affected his breathing. Despite appreciating his tremendous efforts in keeping up with his peers during the physical training, the commanders could not recommend Yigal for an officers' course. So Yigal chose a course for combat medics and unsurprisingly graduated with high grades. He was offered to serve in one of the camps near the city, but Yigal insisted on serving in the Armoured Corps. Yigal joined an elite armoured unit and became the Battalion’s medic. He devoted all his energy to the new unit and was well-liked and appreciated by his colleagues and superiors. For his service, Yigal was awarded the "Combat Service Badge.” During the Yom Kippur War, Yigal took part in the battles against Egypt at the forefront of Sinai. On October 6,1973, his battalion was sent to one of the strongholds in the southern sector near the Suez Canal, which was isolated and surrounded by thousands of Egyptian soldiers. His Armored Personnel Carrier began to climb the embankment to clear the area from the Egyptian soldiers. While assisting the gunners Yigal was hit by a bullet in the chest and lost consciousness. Yigal died that night due to loss of blood. He was laid to rest at the Army cemetery in Haifa. Yigal left behind his mother, father and older brother Ramy. In the letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: "Yigal was an excellent and dedicated medic; disciplined, orderly, ambitious and capable of leadership”. Posthumously, Yigal was promoted to a Staff-Sergeant.