Maoz Morell - In Memory

Who was Maoz? 

by Varda Morell 

Maoz was a cute boy and always had many friends but school was  always difficult for him. From first grade he had difficulty learning to read and we discovered that he had mild learning disabilities. Elementary school was difficult but he worked hard and managed. He knew that he wanted to go to a certain high school yeshiva in the 9th grade that was difficult to get into, so he started working hard in his studies already in the 7th grade. He asked for a lot of help from us and really managed to get accepted where he wanted.

In high school the same pattern repeated itself. School was difficult for him but he did not  did not give up. He worked hard and managed to get a good Bagrut certificate. Even then he had the qualities of a fighter who does not give up even when it is difficult. He also didn't hesitate to ask for the help he needed. He was humble and genuine and wasn't ashamed to ask for help and that helped him a lot to succeed.

He loved to travel and did so  all over the country. He learned rappelling and travelled a lot with the equipment he had purchased.

He was not afraid of hard work. He worked for a landscaping contractor and did hard, physically demanding and tiring work and he did so without complaining. Once the sole of his shoe was partially torn. His boss would have totally understood if he had asked to go home, but he just tied it up with a grocery bag and kept working.

Maoz was very friendly. He always smiled and never fought with anyone. He was very strong in body and mind and he set  goals for himself. He didn't give up until he achieved them. He excelled as a child in kung fu. He studied for 6 years. He also excelled in American football where he played in a league for three years and led his team (he was the team captain) to the league championship.

While fighting in Gaza, he showed courage and bravery in  several incidents and in the last battle he acted as a "machine". He treated and evacuated many wounded under fire and had time to join the fighting and lure the terrorists into a building with his "mag".