Each of the fallen of Israel's soldiers was a world unto themselves – and there's no telling what impact or contribution they would have had on Israeli society had they not been tragically cut down. In the case of Noam Ya'akov Mayerson, however, his life until he was tragically killed in battle at age 23 gives us a small hint of the idealism and capabilities that were lost, says his father, Chaim.
“Noam was killed in his first reserve duty stint,” says Chaim Mayerson, an oleh from the U.S. “He had been trained as a tank commander, extending his IDF service by four months to take the course.” The family lives in Jerusalem, and Noam attended the well-known Horev School in the city for his elementary education, moving on to a Yeshiva high school in Mitzpe Ramon, and later attending the Hesder Yeshiva in Eilat.
“He completed Hesder and the army, and decided he wanted to go into education,” his father says. To that end, Noam worked out a deal with his former high school: “Noam loved to take hikes and explore nature, and of course there are many opportunities to do that in the Mitzpe Ramon area,” says Chaim Mayerson. “He went back to the high school and asked if he could stay in the dorm, so that he could explore the area a bit. In return, he offered to work with kids currently in the school.” And so it was; in the mornings, Noam worked with a group in the school's Beit Midrash, while the afternoons were free for hiking. It was an ideal life for Noam – allowing him to combine his two great loves, teaching and hiking.
After several months, Noam returned to Eilat – not back to yeshiva this time, but to work with an organization called El-Artzi, a combination field school/kiruv organization that offers hikes and tours of the desert around Eilat with an emphasis on Torah values. A friend of his was in charge of the organization, and offered Noam training, and a job as a tour guide. Noam took the offer, and worked with El-Artzi for about half a year – long enough to meet his intended, whom he became engaged to later that year, just after the 17th of Tamuz, with the wedding set for the days after Tisha B'av.
But tragically, it was not to be: It was now 2006, the year of the Second Lebanon War, and Noam was needed at the front. He was called up for his first reserve duty in July, and quickly found himself in a tank in south Lebanon – in one of the infamous battles for Bint Jebel, “the capital of Hizbullah.” Noam's job, says his father, was to help clear mines for infantry soldiers. “As the tank progressed, it was ambushed by a terrorist crew, who fired an anti-tank missile at the tank,” he says. “Noam and his commander were instantly killed, while two others in the tank managed to escape.” This, just weeks before he was to be wed.
The loss of Noam is a terrible one – but not just for his family, says Chaim Mayerson. “Noam loved learning and was a true yerei shamayim, one who fears G-d. Torah was always the most important thing for him, and he loved nature and the Land of Israel.” Another leader who could have made a difference, tragically cut down.