Aryeh Ben-Or

Aryeh Ben-Or was born in 1938 in Petah Tikva

Aryeh Ben-Or, born Orbach, was born in Petah Tikva on July 9, 1938, the only child of his parents. He went to the Weizmann elementary school in Herzliya and to Tichon Hadash high school in Tel Aviv.

He joined the IDF in 1956 and took part in Operation Kadesh. He then completed the flight course and became a pilot, flying most of the Air Force's aircraft types. He spent about 2 years as an instructor at the flight school and rose through the ranks.

In March 1967 he was named commander of Squadron 147, which flew Fouga aircraft, and also led an advanced squadron at the flight school. In the Six-Day War his training planes attacked ground targets on all fronts. On June 7, 1967, after running out of ammunition, he kept circling under enemy fire and guided 2 more formations to Jordanian tanks east of Jerusalem, and 7 tanks were destroyed.

On June 9, 1967, his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking a Syrian artillery position on the Golan Heights, and it crashed. He left a wife and 2 daughters and was buried in the military section of the old cemetery in Herzliya.