‘If there are footprints on the moon, don’t say the sky is the limit’: the beloved family man and officer with a unique sense of mission
On October 7, Lt. Col. Meidan Israel OBM did not stop working. As the officer in charge of logistics, he did everything in his power to provide soldiers with what they needed. On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, after about two and a half weeks of nonstop activity and almost no sleep, he set out for home to rest his head for a few hours. The burden and exhaustion overcame him, and minutes after getting into his car, he was killed in a traffic accident. He was 35. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba. Meidan is survived by his wife, three children, parents and a brother. On his headstone, his loved ones engraved the words: “Officer and gentleman, ambitious and outstanding, beloved and admired family and army man, with a huge heart.”
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Lt. Col. Meidan Israel OBM, who served in the Logistics Corps, was the youngest son of Corinne and Zohar. He was born on the 28th of Tammuz 5748 (July 13, 1988) in Mazkeret Batya. Brother to Yotam. “All his life he was in a hurry, from the day he was born,” his mother Corinne recalls. “I remember they put him in an incubator. On the second day, he already lifted his head. It amazed me. But today, when I think about it, it doesn’t seem random. He was in a hurry because he wanted to accomplish everything.”
Meidan was a sociable child with natural leadership skills. His mother recalls that he was always surrounded by friends and formed social connections with ease. “The day we arrived in Mazkeret Batya, they went out a bit, and that very first day, he already brought a friend to sleep over. We had just arrived,” Corinne says. His father Zohar describes him as “a very likable kid, sweet, smiling, very social.” Meidan was especially close to his brother Yotam. “A younger brother, but never in the sense of someone you have to protect,” Yotam recalls. “Not in the classic sense. He was always a little leader in his own right. We were very close as children, and later, as we grew older, always good friends.”
Meidan grew up and was educated in Mazkeret Batya. After elementary school, he continued to the Yitzhak Rabin Educational Campus. He stood out as a social leader who devoted himself entirely to the goals he set. He was especially interested in soccer and friends and invested fully in the things he loved. Soccer was a significant part of his life. As a child, he supported Beitar Jerusalem and played on the local youth teams in Mazkeret Batya. He would leave home with a ball tucked under his arm. As an adult, he became a devoted fan of Real Madrid, a love that accompanied him until his last day. Whenever possible, he flew to Spain to watch the players he admired. His wife Moran says that despite his many achievements, he was humble. “Meidan had so many layers,” she says. “He was modest, devoted. I think that whatever he did in life, he wanted to do it all the way.”
‘I knew he was on a mission that was important to him’
In 2006, he began his military career as a driver in the Logistics Corps and quickly advanced to an instructor role. “They took him to instruction, and there he blossomed,” his father recalls. “Command and instructional roles suited him more,” emphasizes his brother Yotam. “He always loved taking care of people. The moment he decided to go to officers’ course, he just took off, really spread his wings.” In light of his abilities, he was promoted to squad commander in the training company and then attended officers’ course. Upon completion, he returned to his original battalion as a platoon commander and was later promoted to deputy company commander and operations officer. He excelled in training roles that matched his achievement-oriented character. Alongside his military duties, he completed two university degrees, a demanding task he fulfilled with distinction.
“His learning ability and adaptability were such that he integrated incredibly,” his father says. “He wanted to do everything. He received early promotions. He was 35 and managed to complete two degrees during his service — a master’s degree with honors, a bachelor’s degree with high distinction. Every role he performed, he did excellently.” Yotam explains that behind Meidan’s determination was deep curiosity, to learn as much as possible and contribute in as many fields as possible. “That leadership, whose foundation was stubbornness, but in a good way,” he says. “He wanted to taste everything.”
It was in the training company that he met Moran, who served as the battalion’s personnel officer and later became his wife. “Meidan loved the military system, the framework,” she recalls. “It suited him. It wasn’t simple to raise children and build a family like that. In the end, I accepted it with love. I knew he was on a mission that was very important to him.” On July 25, 2013, after three years together, Meidan and Moran married and built their home in the community of Yarhiv in the Drom Hasharon Regional Council. Over the years, their three children were born: Liav, Aline and Lihi.
‘Each person was his whole world’
In August 2022, Meidan was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed head of supply for the Southern Command. In that role, he managed and led all quality processes, service experience and supply responses for combat soldiers. He was also responsible for the command’s emergency preparedness.
On October 7, a phone call woke Meidan and Moran. “At 6:30 in the morning, I get a call from my mother,” Moran recalls. “She says, ‘There are sirens, there’s a red alert.’ I wake him up, he answers the phone. Immediately there are many calls — get to the base. He gets organized, and I’m saying, ‘What do you mean, what happened?’ We were used to this routine, on holidays and vacations, that there’s some small operation and then it’s over.” On October 7, 2023, at 6:30 a.m., the Hamas terrorist organization launched a surprise attack on Israel. From the outbreak of war, Meidan worked around the clock, leading the concentration and organization of IDF forces in the south and providing logistical support to thousands of soldiers and commanders, both regular and reserve. He felt enormous personal responsibility in his role, overseeing every logistical aspect. His father describes the sudden shift. “The entire army arrives in the south, and you have to take care of all the army’s logistics. It’s insane. He didn’t sleep, day, night, day, night.”
Meidan did not stop working, out of a deep sense of responsibility and duty to his soldiers and to the country. “His officers kept trying to ask him to go sleep and let them handle it, but he refused,” Moran says. “He calls me and says he can’t function anymore and has to rest his head. Around 9 p.m. He says he’s heading home, already in the car in the base parking lot.” On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, after about two and a half weeks of intense activity and almost no sleep, he set out for home to rest for a few hours. The burden and exhaustion overcame him, and minutes after entering his car, he was killed in a traffic accident.
“It was getting late, Moran tried to reach him,” his father recalls. “I opened a news app and saw there was an accident near Be’er Sheva. My mind immediately went there.” Moran remembers the moment the news arrived. “Around midnight, the casualty officers came. When I saw them, I understood immediately, but I understood nothing. It was a traffic accident, but I saw that the war had taken him. He simply couldn’t withstand the load.”
During the deep mourning, his brother Yotam wrote a song in his memory. “I wrote the lyrics during the shiva,” he says. “All I keep hearing is, ‘Be strong, strong for the parents, strong for the children, pull yourself together, don’t fall apart.’” “You can’t say, ‘Don’t excel’ or ‘Don’t pursue your goal,’” his father says through tears. “You can’t, because that was him. He did good, he helped people. Each person was his whole world. That’s why he was so loved. It happened after we thought we had reached stability, children, career, everything.”
‘Meidan’s legacy is to do good for others’
His mother Corinne explains how significant his presence was to all who knew him. “He lit up the room, always with that smile, a captivating smile and inner calm,” she says. “He had serenity. He left us a gift. In each child, you can see him. You see Meidan there. He left so much goodness. He left a mark everywhere he was.”
Moran speaks of the special and loving father he was. “He was the fun parent at home. He would come home and the rules would break and we’d start having fun,” she recalls. “He had a special smile, with a beautiful dimple that he passed on to our youngest daughter. She was a year and a half old, and it’s like he’s beside her every day.” Though Meidan is no longer here, he is present in every moment for those who loved him. “We live and breathe Dad,” Moran says. “He’s commemorated in our home. There’s a bright, welcoming corner for him. We always share memories — ‘how wonderful it was when—’ and ‘how wonderful it would be if he were here now.’”
Today, the family is engaged in multiple commemorative initiatives to share Meidan’s unique character with the world. “One of the biggest projects is establishing a sports field intended to bring at-risk youth for special activity days,” Moran says. “I think Meidan’s legacy is ultimately to do good for others. When you do good, do it all the way, with excellence. They used to say about him, ‘If there are footprints on the moon, don’t say the sky is the limit.’ He truly crossed boundaries and created something from nothing.” His family and friends continue to initiate events to celebrate his life. In March 2024, Harel Hadad composed the song “Be Strong,” written by Yotam during the shiva. On May 12, 2024, a memorial evening of songs was held with family, friends, commanders and soldiers. In January 2024, a baking evening was held in his memory, after which Moran met with families of fallen soldiers, murder victims and hostages from the Drom Hasharon Regional Council and distributed the baked goods. Ahead of Passover 2024, food packages were prepared in his memory and distributed to those in need. On July 12, 2024, to mark Meidan’s birthday, his family organized an ATV ride in his memory in Horesha Forest with family, friends and acquaintances. Meidan is commemorated in the “Oak Grove” in the Drom Hasharon Regional Council. The family has published a memorial book in his honor and is currently producing a film to commemorate his life.
May his memory be a blessing.
Lieutenant Colonel
Meidan Israel