St.-Sgt. Gedaliah Mellick

Apr 9, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Gedaliah Mellick, 21, of Jerusalem was killed in Jenin when an explosive charge was thrown at an IDF patrol (Operation Defensive Shield).

During searches carried out by a Golani unit in a building in the Jenin refugee camp, Palestinians opened fire at the soldiers. One bullet hit a grenade carried by St.-Sgt. Gedaliah Mellick, triggering the explosion that caused his death and injured 12 other soldiers.

Mellick is remembered as a poet and writer who loved to play piano and was a computer whiz. Only 10 days earlier it was his computer skills that helped the IDF download important documents found in Arafat's offices in Ramallah.

He insisted on serving in a combat unit rather than in the computer unit, despite medical problems. The commander of his unit said he wasn't afraid to take risks and volunteered for everything. He had great leadership and problem-solving skills. His brother Moshe said that Gedaliah called himself a "humanitarian fighter, because he fought out of the necessity to fight, but made every effort not to hurt innocent people."

The youngest of four brothers and sisters, Gedaliah grew up in Kiryat Arba. Later the family moved to Jerusalem. His father, Simcha Mellick, was in Kiev working for the Jewish Agency when he received the news of his son's death. He returned for the funeral.