Staff Sgt. Adir Bogale, 20: Golani soldier was ‘one in a million’
Killed battling Hamas terrorists at the Nahal Oz IDF post on October 7
Staff Sgt. Adir Eshto Bogale, 20, a Golani soldier, from Ariel, was killed on October 7 battling Hamas terrorists at the Nahal Oz IDF outpost.
He is survived by his parents, Ortal and Getnet Gideon, and his brother Shaked and sister Shoval. He was buried on October 12 in Petah Tikva.
His parents appeared on Channel 14 to discuss their son’s legacy and his actions on that fateful day.
Gideon said Adir was scheduled to be on guard duty from 4 to 7 a.m. Saturday morning at the base right next to the border. He was part of the first line when the terrorists stormed the base and managed to kill dozens of terrorists alongside his comrades before he ran out of ammunition and was shot dead.
Adir, Gideon said, always dreamed of serving in the Golani Brigade, “and fought to be in Golani… he was so connected to the country, he loved people so much.” He said since his death, “There are things we’ve been learning about him. His generosity, his spirit of volunteerism — we thought he was just out playing with his friends, but he wasn’t.”
He was a “very stubborn child, if he set a goal for himself, he would do everything to achieve it,” said Gideon.
“Adir was a person who loved everyone, embraced everyone… He was a man of faith,” said Gideon, noting that he would study Torah every Shabbat and that he attended a secular school and was “the only one who would wear a kippa and tzitzit. And when they would go on a trip he would say to them, ‘Come put on tefillin.’ Also in the army, that’s what he would do.”
His mother, Ortal, described him to the network as “a smiley child, very social, a bit of a clown. He had a big impact on those around him.”
On an Instagram memorial page set up for Adir, his girlfriend, Alem, recalled meeting him on her birthday, “and ever since then I felt and said that you were my gift.”
“I knew how pure and righteous you were, but the pride I had when I heard stories and memories from people who knew you made me realize that you really were one in a million, and on the other hand made me sad that I didn’t manage to get to know you all the way,” Alem wrote.
She said that since he was killed, “I speak to you all the time, and just hope that you are listening, sometimes it helps and sometimes it makes me more depressed… you were always there for me and by my side, listening, accepting, helping and supporting me. Thank you for showing me that there is hope for this generation, that there are still people like you out there. I love you, I miss you, and I am waiting and know that we will meet again.”
