Police Supt. Vadim Blih, 39: Ukrainian immigrant and father of 3
Killed in action fighting in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7
Police Supt. Vadim Blih, 39, was killed on October 7 while fighting against Hamas in Kibbutz Be’eri next to the Gaza Strip.
Blih, from the northern city of Haifa, is survived by his wife, Ortal, and their three children, Liam, 11, Maya, 8, and Liz, 4. He was buried on October 10 at the Haifa military cemetery.
Friends told a Haifa newspaper that Blih was a modest, quiet man, who was always there for others.
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Blih immigrated to Israel in 1991 at age 7. He completed compulsory military duties in the Border Police, later joining the police in 2010 and serving in an undercover unit and then the Police Anti-Corruption Unit.
After a stint as an instructor at the National Police College, he returned to active duty. His most recent position was as a platoon commander.
His former classmate Vicki Jamenson wrote, “He was a caring guy, warm and concerned about others, with a heart of gold. He would always come to help with anything and was a loyal friend. Anyone in the country for our class is coming from all over the country to his funeral.”
His friend Eli Malkin told a local news outlet, “I was privileged to be your friend for 22 years,” recalling their last conversation only a few hours before he was killed.
“Vadim, my dear brother, I can’t believe you have been taken from us. You were an angel, the king of the angels,” he said. “You were always there for everyone, no matter when or how, you always showed up. You didn’t care about the hour or the reason, you would just show up.”
“Your friends and your parents always said that you had such an incredible smile, such a personality,” Malkin continued. “You always made sure your mother was living like a queen, that she lacked nothing. The love you gave to your family, to your children — they lived like royalty.”
At a memorial ceremony four months after his was killed, his wife, Ortal, said she was struggling to adjust to her new reality.
“You were everything to me in life, a listening ear, a supportive shoulder, and you always protected us and took care of us,” she said. “You were the strongest person in the world, invincible, with the best heart in the world. A quiet and modest person, who did everything quietly in his own way… everyone who met you immediately fell in love with you, because you had a special kind of magic that could not be ignored.”
