JULY 18 • 2024 | 47
S
ergeant First Class
(res.) Yakir Shmuel
Tatelbaum, an IDF
soldier who was born in
Detroit before making aliyah
with his family at age 5, died
in combat in Gaza on June 28,
2024. He was 21 years old.
He was laid to rest at the
military cemetery on Mount
Herzl on June 30, which
would have been his 22nd
birthday.
Yakir’s mother, Marcy,
eulogized her son. Marcy
said those who knew Yakir
“knew he was a one-of-a-
kind, sensitive, precious, pure,
sweeter-than-sweet person.”
“When Yakir was born,
there was this pleasantness
about him. He was calm,” she
said. “The things he loved
were things that were gentle
and soft, too. His love of
nature, his love of the land, his
love of the sea.”
As he got older, that
translated into becoming a
“knows exactly what he wants”
type-person who was strong
in his beliefs.
Yakir was a “man of
missions.” He had become
passionate about becoming
an organ donor in his mid-
teens, a wish that is now being
fulfilled as many of his organs
are being donated in the wake
of his passing.
He was not only sensitive to
other people, but also to the
environment. He influenced
his family to get rid of any
disposables at home.
“He felt responsible as a
human being to do the right
thing with anything he did,”
Marcy said.
In the days following Yakir’s
death, Marcy has heard
countless stories of Yakir’s
random acts of kindness from
his plethora of friends and
strangers alike.
Yakir also had a deep love
for Israel.
“He was absolutely ready
to give his life up for this
country,” Marcy said. “He said
it out loud various times. And
he chose to go back into Gaza;
he did not need to be in Gaza
right now.”
In April, Yakir finished his
mandatory service and then
got a four-month reserve duty
calling as a tank commander.
They wanted him to train an
incoming group of soldiers.
“He basically said, ‘I’m not
sitting on that base for four
months,’” Marcy recalled. “He
had already been in and out
of Gaza four times between
November and April. His
tank was hit on two different
occasions by an RPG, and
it was a miracle that he and
the others in the tank weren’t
killed.”
But Yakir pushed to go
back, and he found a way.
“So, he went back into
Gaza, even though he had no
obligation to. And, of course,
we tried to convince him not
to, but I knew he wasn’t going
to change his mind,” Marcy
said. “This was his sixth time
back into Gaza and was going
to be the last time.
“G-d takes the best,” she
added. “Within a few minutes
after hearing the news, I said
to myself, it’s so true: Time
after time, the gems of the
gems are the ones killed.
That’s what happened with
Yakir.”
STRONG FAMILY TIES
TO METRO DETROIT
Yakir’s family has deep
roots in the Detroit Jewish
community.
Yakir’s parents and
grandparents were all
born in Detroit, and his
great-grandparents were
also Detroiters. His great-
grandfather, Meyer Eisenberg,
was one of the founders of
Farber Hebrew Day School
– Yeshivat Akiva. Meyer and
his wife, Bessie, were also
founders of Young Israel of
Greenfield (now Young Israel
of Oak Park).
Yakir’s grandfather Barry
Eisenberg previously served
as executive director of Akiva
and was on-and-off president
at the school for 20-30 years.
He was also extremely active
as president/gabbai at Young
Israel of Southfield.
Yakir also has deep Detroit
roots on the side of his father,
Yehuda. Yehuda’s maternal
grandfather, Reb Hershel
Roth, served as rabbi at
Congregation B’nai David in
Southfield for many decades.
Yehuda’s father, Yitzchak
Tatelbaum, and grandparents,
Mordechai and Esther
Tatelbaum, were longtime
educators at Farber-Akiva,
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
and Hillel Day School.
Marcy said there’s been
a steady flow of Detroiters
visiting them since Yakir’s
death.
“It’s been comforting to
see that outpouring of love
and support from the Detroit
community,” she said.
Marcy believes her son’s
legacy is really what he stood
for — unity and kindness
among the nation of Israel.
“Yakir very much had
his ideas and beliefs about
politics, culture, Judaism,
whatever it is, but he always
respected and listened to
any other side. He stood for
mutual respect,” she said. “He
wanted to go into education
and do a whole revamp of
the education system, where
everything should be built
around teaching our children
these ideas and values and
how to function together as
different human beings with
the same goal. That’s really
what he was about.”
If you would like to honor
the memory of Yakir, you may
do so by making a donation
to Farber-Akiva (https://
farberhds.org/giving/general-
donation) or City of David
(https://cityofdavid.org.il/en/
donation).
Yakir is survived by his
parents, Yehuda and Marcy
Tatelbaum; siblings, Meir
(and wife, Keren) and
Techelet; nephew, Netzach;
grandparents, Andrea
Eisenberg, Barry Eisenberg (of
blessed memory), Yitzhak and
Mati Tatelbaum; and many
loving aunts and uncles and
cousins.
A Man of Missions
DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
Yakir
Tatelbaum