One Family
Sima still remembers when Tzachi told her about his first impression of Col. Braun. “‘Mom! You don’t understand what a wonderful guy I just met!” Tzachi exclaimed one day. “He’s an amazing officer!”
Sima says that from that moment, Col. Braun became like a child to her. “We became a real family…To us, Tal’s children are our grandchildren. Tzachi was always busy taking care of us, and before he died, he sent Tal, to make sure someone would still be looking after us.”
Col. Braun believes that it was not coincidence that brought him to Tzachi’s family. Both men were born in Jerusalem, studied at the same school with the same teachers, volunteered with the community’s civil police, and were sports fans. “Both of us love Sima’s food,” Col. Braun jokes. “Tzachi was my brother’s age. In many ways, Tzachi is my brother.”
Col. Braun remembers what characterized Tzachi most: his rare ambition and ability to achieve his goals. “I don’t know a lot of kids who do as much as Tzachi did at his age,” he says. “You could see his self-confidence and his skills. He even took university courses while he was in school. You ask yourself how a young man did so much. Some people grab life with one hand, some with two. Tzachi embraced life.”
A Role Model
Throughout his life, Tzachi always served as a role model for those around him. After his course for officers, the IDF chose Tzachi to serve as a commander in the field . “You’re the best here,” his commander told him. “And we need a group of soldiers to command in southern Lebanon.”
Sima, whose brother Rafael (Rafi) Malka also fell defending Israel, remembers what Tzachi told her. “My commander asked me to serve, and they need me,” he said. “It’s my duty and that’s final.”
“I think what you can learn from Tzachi is to set a personal example,” Col. Braun says. “For Tzachi, and for me, the greater cause was our love for our county. We felt a connection; we both understood that you have to protect what you have, and you have to do it the best you can… That is exactly what Tzachi did, quietly and modestly. His main quality was leadership.”
“Where would we be today without people who are willing to do more than is required of them?” Col. Braun continues. “These people use their skills not just for personal gain…They are what make us a society and a state, rather than a group of unconnected individuals. Tzachi was one of these people.”