Oct 16, 2005 - Oz (Yisrael) Ben-Meir, 15, of Ma'on, was one of three killed in a drive-by shooting at a hitchhiking stop at the Gush Etzion junction south of Jerusalem. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.
Oz Ben-Meir's family went to live in Ma'on, in the Hebron foothills, when he was a baby. Oz was the second of six children. "He was a leader among the youth; they all looked up to him," his neighbor, Malchi Sonnenfeld, said. He was on his way home from Jerusalem with a friend and were waiting for a ride when the attack took place. Oz was killed along with the cousins Kineret Mandel and Matat Adler; three others were wounded.
A few weeks ago, Oz began ninth grade at the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Dimona after completing his studies at the Susya regional school near Hebron. In addition to Torah studies, Oz was also a keen sportsman and his team recently won a country-wide orienteering competition.
Oz Ben-Meir was buried in the Susya cemetery. He is survived his parents, Rami and Nirit, two sisters, Udiya and Shira and three brothers, Shai, Raz and Shahar.