IDF Combat Officer, Captain (Res.) and MDA Paramedic Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein Z”L
\n“He saw challenges as opportunities, and with his characteristic persistence \u2013 he fought, persevered, and succeeded.”
\nMagen David Adom mourns the loss of IDF combat officer, Captain (Res.) and MDA paramedic Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein Z”L (31), who fell yesterday (December 8) during a battle in South Lebanon. Sagi Ya’akov Z”L, a resident of Kibbutz Lavi, leaves a wife, three children, parents, two MDA volunteer brothers, and a sister. His funeral will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) at the military section of the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva.
\nSagi Yaakov Z”L began his journey at the Magen David Adom station in Petah Tikva as a youth volunteer providing first aid at the age of 15, and later as a first aid instructor. In his military service, he served as a combat medic while also completing his training as an emergency medical technician and ambulance driver with MDA. In January 2023, he qualified as a paramedic. Between his numerous reserve duty rotations, starting on October 7, 2023, as a combat officer in the 9263 Kfir Battalion of the 226th Brigade, he made sure to serve shifts in intensive care ambulances in order to complete his training as a team leader. In February 2024, he began working with Magen David Adom. In addition to his work at MDA, Sagi Yaakov Z”L volunteered with the ‘Simcha LeYeled’ organization and was a member of the emergency response team on his kibbutz.
\nShimon Aknin, MDA Paramedic Mentor, who accompanied Sagi Ya’akov Z”L at MDA:
\n“I was Sagi Yaakov’s mentor. He was a special person with a heart of gold, who did everything for his family. He was professional, smart, and sharp, always making sure to learn and improve in order to be the best at his job. It’s very hard for me to speak of him in the past tense, this is a huge loss. Even when he was in reserve duty for a long period, he made sure to keep in touch with the station and came for shifts during his short breaks at home.”
\nClose friend and MDA Senior EMT Dvir Chashnover:
\n“I’ve known Sagi Ya’akov for about 15 years; we sat on the same bench at the synagogue. He was a counsellor a year ahead of me in Bnei Akiva. He told me about his volunteering at MDA and was a great inspiration to me \u2013 thanks to him, I joined Magen David Adom. His dream was to advance and acquire more knowledge to save as many lives as possible. Two weeks ago, we met at the synagogue and talked about the paramedic course he had recently completed. He was a charismatic and special person who inspired many. May his memory be a blessing.”
\nMDA Paramedic and close friend Tzuri Navot eulogized him:
\n“Sagi Ya’akov was a warrior at heart, and saving lives was a supreme value for him. He was a true and close friend, and I will remember him as such. A true leader with great values. He always saw challenges as opportunities, and with his characteristic persistence \u2013 he fought, persevered, and succeeded. He was an example to us all, and fell while safeguarding the homeland. He left a huge void, and he will always remain in our hearts.”<\/p>\n
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Captain (Res.) and MDA paramedic Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein Z”L (31) fell on December 8 during a battle in South Lebanon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2568,"parent":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-2567","the-fallen","type-the-fallen","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n