Sgt.-Maj.(res.) Yochai Porat
Mar 3, 2002 - Sgt.-Maj.(res.) Yochai Porat, 26, of Kfar Sava was one of 10 soldiers and civilians killed when a terrorist opened fire at an IDF roadblock north of Ofra in Samaria.
Shortly after 6:30 on Sunday morning, a Palestinian sniper opened fired at an army roadblock 1.5 kilometers north of Ofra on the Ramallah-Nablus road from his carbine, killing 10 soldiers and civilians and wounding four, before escaping unharmed. With his first shots, the gunman killed the three soldiers deployed behind concrete blocks surrounding the roadblock. Soldiers sleeping in the adjacent building were alerted by the gunfire and raced out to the roadblock, only to be shot dead. Also killed were civilians and soldiers who arrived by car at the roadblock.
Yochai Porat with Senator Hillary Clinton (Feb 24, 2002)
Photo: Magen David Adom
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Sgt.-Maj.(res.) Yochai Porat, who was on reserve army duty as a medic, was killed while trying to help his wounded comrades. Yochai was coordinator of the Jewish Agency's Foreign Volunteers Program, which is jointly run with Magen David Adom. The foreign volunteer program took on new impetus after Yochai became its coordinator. In this capacity, just a week ago he met Senator Hillary Clinton during her visit to Israel, and was excited to take a picture with her during the presentation of diplomas for volunteers from abroad.
As part of his duties, he personally taught first aid to volunteers. He took into consideration the personal needs each volunteer. He carefully chose the assignments of each one to appropriate MDA stations; he offered personal guidance; he gave information about aliyah possibilities and life in Israel, and did all he could to help each volunteer both while they were enrolled in the program and later on, after their return to their home countries.
Along with his work in the Jewish Agency, Yochai continued to volunteer for Magen David Adom, as he had for 10 years, and helped save lives of countless victims of terror attacks and tragedies, such as the Versailles banquet hall disaster in Jerusalem, the Dophinarium disco terror attack, terror attacks in Kfar Sava and Karnei Shomron.
Sgt.-Maj.(res.) Yochai Porat was buried in the Kfar Sava military cemetery. He leaves behind parents, a brother and sister.