Sari, mother of Warrant Officer (res.) Barak Kalfon, who was killed on Friday night in southern Lebanon by an explosive device, spoke this morning with Asaf Liberman and Kalman Liebskind on Channel Two news, about her son: “I lost a son, I lost an asset, a treasure for everyone."
“He truly saw his military service as a personal national mission," she said. “Every time reserves were being called up, he volunteered, always willingly, never complained. He knew the Lebanese sector very well. In recent months he really helped his commanders and soldiers, who said, ‘If Barak is staying, we’re with him, we feel safe with him.’ He gave us the feeling he knew what to do, he knew how to lead us, together with the commanders who relied on him greatly. He was a spiritual and physical anchor for us."
Barak worked as an engineer at Rafael. “His brothers told him, ‘You already contribute more in your job, you’re doing enough.’ But Barak insisted on continuing to serve in the reserves. He saw it as a national mission. He told me, ‘Mom, there aren’t enough reservists, I feel I have to be there, I can’t do otherwise.’"
Recently, his father was hospitalized. “His brothers called him, he came to the hospital, and after seeing that they were taking care of him, he said to them, ‘I see you’re handling everything well, I have to go up to Lebanon.’"
Barak was due to celebrate his 49th birthday in May with his wife Shimrit and his two daughters, Noa and Maya. “I’m in a living nightmare. I can’t believe this is how his life ended; such a wonderful son, an engineer, a family man with a wonderful wife and two great daughters who will now grow up without their father. Even though the whole family will support them, a father is a father."