Zev Chanoch (Jabo) Ehrlich a"h, the oldest military casualty of the current war

A venerated researcher of Eretz Yisrael and a prodigious talmid chacham, Zev Chanoch (Jabo) Ehrlich was granted access by the IDF to the most complex archaeological and historical sites, even in enemy terrain. Then came his final mission: While investigating an ancient fortress in southern Lebanon, he was struck by Hezbollah gunfire, becoming the oldest military casualty of the current war

IT was the beginning of the summer, and I was granted permission to accompany Battalion 910 on a nighttime cleanup raid of Beit Ummar, a Hamas hotbed right in the middle of Gush Etzion near the yishuv of Carmei Tzur, about halfway between Efrat and Hevron. The soldiers were tasked with finding weapons and explosives, arresting wanted terrorists, and spotting and towing a few dozen “mashtubot” — slang for stolen cars that somehow make their way to every Arab village.

But after the military briefing, before the troops dispersed, there was one more person these soldiers would hear from — because, to quote Winston Churchill, a nation that forgets its past has no future.

Everyone fell silent.

From the side of the room, an older man wearing a yarmulke and army fatigues quickly made his way to the podium. Even from the back bench, where I was sitting together with the IDF spokesman, it was impossible to miss his intensity, as well as the sparkling eyes and ever-present smile underneath the thick, white trademark moustache.

“My dear friends,” he began, and then launched into something reminiscent of a shiur klali, imparting practical knowledge and spiritual treasures to the soldiers. He knew everything — history, geography, topography, anything that a soldier needed to know before going out to fight for the security of the Holy Land.

His knowledge of antiquity, of biblical nuance, of Chazal and mesorah, his familiarity with Arab culture and language, and his vast historic breadth not only amazed those he met both professionally and conversationally, but became a valuable asset to the IDF in their various missions among the Arab population. Throughout the years, including in the current war, senior officers relied on him for terrain analysis to plan operations across all sectors of Eretz Yisrael. Every senior officer assuming responsibility for a particular sector would go through Jabo to ensure operational readiness.

He was an incredible combination of a scholar and fighter. He was unbelievably knowledgeable, a sharp researcher and explorer who had lots of courage. And that night that we went out, when he wasn’t speaking, he was organizing group singing with the soldiers in the Panther — a motorized monster of a Jeep that took us to the Arab village.