Shmuel Eldar

Shmuel Eldar was born in 1953 in Sitria

Shmuel Eldar was born on March 4, 1953, in Moshav Sitria. His parents, Sara and Mordechai Yitzhak Adler, were Holocaust survivors and among the founders of the moshav. He studied biology at the Amos de-Shalit high school in Rehovot.

He joined the IDF in January 1971 and volunteered for pilot training. During the Yom Kippur War, as a cadet, he helped out at Squadron 201. He then flew helicopters in Squadrons 125 and 118, became a captain and instructor, and left regular service in 1978 to grow flowers on his parents' farm.

He returned to service in 1980 as deputy commander of Squadron 118 and flew dozens of missions in the First Lebanon War. He later commanded Squadrons 123 and 118, studied at a military college in Alabama, and became deputy commander of Tel Nof base as a colonel.

From 1994 he earned a master's degree in political science at the National Defense College and the University of Haifa. He was then named commander of Palmachim base and promoted to brigadier general. He served on the inquiry committee into the 1997 helicopter disaster.

On March 15, 1998, his Cobra helicopter crashed into the sea off Netanya during a training flight, killing him and his trainee. He was buried in the military cemetery in Rehovot. The helicopter landing pad near the Knesset bears his name.