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Yishai Zimmerman, Unit 101 veteran who served at 90, dies at 93

A remembrance follows his decades of military service, an extraordinary flight from Beirut and his work with young people outside formal education.

Channel: Kan News Hebrew channel ·

IsraelStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

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שירת גם בגיל 90: הלוחם המיתולוגי מיחידה 101 הלך לעולמו

Things we can learn from the video

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0:21Amal Zimmerman recalls his father's love of reserve service and aversion to routine.
0:43The report traces Zimmerman's transfer from the armored corps to Unit 101 alongside Meir Har-Zion.
1:40His military record includes the Medal of Courage, a Six-Day War injury and reserve service into old age.
2:15An archival recording recounts a Lebanese light aircraft's flight from Beirut to Israel with two Israeli officers.
3:09Amal describes his father's volunteering with Abie Nathan, care for injured animals and work with young people.
4:13The remembrance recalls his wife Raya's death and gives funeral information for Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud.

Yishai Zimmerman, one of the last surviving soldiers of Israel's Unit 101, has died at 93, according to Kan News, the news division of Israel's Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. His son Amal remembers a man who loved reserve duty and found routine difficult to bear.

Chen Biar's remembrance combines family recollections with military photographs and archival recordings. Zimmerman's friend Moshe Peled describes him as an adventurer drawn to the outdoors, while Amal recalls a unit where friends recruited friends.

The report traces Zimmerman's move from the armored corps to Unit 101 alongside Meir Har-Zion. Peled says its soldiers helped establish principles of completing missions and never leaving wounded or dead comrades behind. Archival images place Zimmerman alongside Har-Zion and Ariel Sharon.

According to the report, Zimmerman received the Medal of Courage for fighting Egyptian forces during Operation Volcano, was wounded in the Six-Day War and continued volunteering for reserve service into old age. The video's title emphasizes that he was still serving at 90.

One archival recording recounts a light aircraft flown from Beirut to Israel during the First Lebanon War. In the recording, Ofer Yozem recalls requesting permission to enter Israeli airspace in a Lebanese aircraft carrying two Israeli officers. Amal says he had not known the story, but immediately thought it sounded like something his father would do.

The final part turns to Zimmerman's life beyond military service: volunteering with humanitarian activist Abie Nathan, caring for injured animals and working with young people who had dropped out of educational programs. It also recalls the loss of his wife, Raya, and identifies Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud as the location of his funeral.

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