Major Ro'i Klein volunteered to lead his unit, the Golani Brigade Battalion 51 into
battle in the second Lebanon war. Major Klein was a distinguished commander,
brilliant Saxophone player, intellectual genius that graduated with a degree in
engineering with Honors and a Torah scholar. He was married and the father of two
sons.
On July 26, 2006, in Bint J'beil, his unit was ambushed and a
terrorist threw a grenade toward them. Ro'i courageously jumped on the grenade to
save his men. His body took the brunt of the explosion and many soldiers were saved
because of his heroic act. He shouted "Shema Yisrael" as he gave his life to save
others and make our world a better place to live. He never saw his 31st
birthday.
For his actions during the war, Klein received the Medal of
Courage posthumously, The Medal of Courage is the Israel Defense forces' second
highest honor. For his bravery, our community recognizes Major Ro'i Klein as a hero.
