Guy was like a little angel who came to do a good deed, and it was time for him to leave
Master Sgt. (res.) Guy Shabtay, who fell at age 39 during fighting in southern Lebanon, left behind a long trail of light and values that come together in the portrait of a different kind of Israeli hero.
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The curly-haired boy with a strong sense of justice
Guy was born the youngest child of Hanna and Menachem Shabtay. He was a brother to Shai, Merav and Tamar. ‘We had a very strong bond from the day he was born,’ his father recalls wistfully. ‘He was born with curls, had very beautiful hair, and he was a very sharp kid, very intelligent.’ His sisters, Merav and Tamar, remember a mischievous and funny child, but one who carried within him a rare moral compass from the very start. ‘His sense of justice was there from the day he was born, in my opinion,’ Tamar says. ‘When something happens and he feels there is some kind of injustice, he just cannot live with it.’
Guy’s first great talent was soccer. His father introduced him to sports at a young age, and it quickly became clear that he was an exceptional talent. ‘The ball was glued to his foot like a magnet,’ his sisters recall. He played for leading clubs such as Bnei Yehuda and Hakoah Ramat Gan, but his ambitions reached even farther.
From American fields to the study benches
After completing his military service, Guy decided to take his talent one step further. He filmed a highlights video and sent it to agents abroad. The result was a scholarship to a university in the United States. There, wearing the uniform of a team in Indiana, Guy became a star. ‘He led them to a championship,’ his sisters say with pride. ‘There is a video where you see him, and the commentator is shouting in the background, “Guy Shabtay!” as he scores a goal.’
Despite the potential for a brilliant career and a promising future overseas, something else began to awaken within Guy. ‘Little by little, he began a religious return,’ his father Menachem says. In the United States he encountered a warm Jewish community and a host family that supported him during those critical years, but his heart pulled him back to Israel. He returned home, started a family with Reut and decided to devote his time to Torah study. ‘I met him when he decided that what he wanted at that point was to study Torah, and very quickly we understood that this was it,’ his widow Reut recalls.
The educator and the father
Guy studied at a yeshiva for five years and later chose the path of education. He became a professional English teacher at a high school, combining the knowledge he gained abroad with his desire to give to the next generation. Together with Reut, he built a home filled with values and joy, where their three daughters grew up: Gefen, 9, Hilleli, 7, and Hanna, 4.
‘It is as if Guy knew his life would be short,’ his sister Tamar says. ‘He wanted to fit in one more thing and another. In his short life, he managed to do so much.’ Reut adds that even today, after his passing, his presence is felt in every corner of the home.
The ‘correction’ on the battlefield
Guy’s story of heroism begins with a sense of missed opportunity from his regular army service. As an outstanding athlete, he could not serve as a combat soldier. ‘His correction was in the reserves,’ his sister Merav explains. ‘It was hard for him that during his regular service he was not in a combat role.’ Guy loved his unit and his mission.
On October 7, Guy did not hesitate. He was called up for reserve duty in the northern sector, and at the conclusion of the second holiday evening he entered Lebanon with his unit. During an operation in the village of Aitaroun, the force encountered terrorists who were hiding in a building. In the heavy exchange of fire, which included massive gunfire and grenades, Guy was critically wounded.
For two weeks, Guy fought for his life in the hospital, as his father Menachem did not leave his bedside. ‘Every day I was with him, from morning until evening. I did not leave him for a moment,’ he says in pain. ‘I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, and how he was the perfect brother,’ Merav says through tears.
A legacy of light
Guy Shabtay left behind an immense void, but also a powerful legacy. ‘I made a decision, no matter what, we will be strong,’ Reut says with courage. ‘It was clear to me that we lost a father, but the girls will not lose a mother. We will be happy, and we will always carry his name with us.’
He was a man of contrasts that came together in one harmony: a soccer player and a man of books, a fighter and a gentle soul. ‘He was a boy who did not like to argue with people, always respected his elders,’ his father sums up. Perhaps the most precise words are those of his sister Tamar: ‘He was like a little angel who came to do some good deed, and it was time for him to leave.’
Master Sgt. (res.) Guy Shabtay of the Infantry Corps fell on the 7th of Cheshvan, 5785, November 8, 2024, at age 39.
May his memory be a blessing.
Master Sergeant
Guy Shabtay