Tomer Ron

A deeply spiritual and philosophical person, Tomer, also an avid runner, met his own cruel fate at the age of 31, 13 years after his brother Giora, on his beloved Kibbutz Ein Gedi's date plantation where he worked in. A mischievous young boy, he grew to become a shy, introverted musical genius and talented runner. His high school years were marked largely by an excellent academic record as well as the death of his adored older brother, Giora. In spite of the tragedy that befell the Ron family, Tomer scored high on his matriculation exams and then continued on to volunteer, as did many of his contemporaries, in building a young kibbutz. The ties to his family brought him home sooner than expected. In the army, Tomer served in the intelligence division, well-suited to his quiet, non-combative personality. As soon as his military service ended, he returned to work in the date plantation, quickly becoming the fastest worker, immersed in his music and thoughts while picking dates.

Tomer became a passionate runner, winningfirst place in numerous competitions: in 1984 he won the 10 k. January Mini-Marathon and the Blue-Bay races; in 1990 the Around Mount Tabor race, the Tel Aviv Half Marathon, the Cross-Country 5000 m. competition in memory of Amitsur Shapira and the 10 K Netanya Marathon the following year. Tomer also represented Israel in several international competitions: accompanying Arie Gamliel to Luxembourg in 1984 and setting a new personal record in the 10 k marathon, participating in the Cross Country World Championships in Portugal in 1985 and the cross-country marathon in Brussels two years later. Tomer seemed to do everything with enthusiasm and depth. He was a fervent reader and keen on jazz music. He had a rare collection of records and compact discs, read professional literature about jazz and became an authority on avant garde jazz. Eventually, Tomer decided to study philosophy at Tel Aviv University, due to his desire to expand his knowledge in the field rather than the need to earn a degree, which he completed with honors. Greatly respected by his professors, he developed warm personal relationships with many of them.

After completing his degree, he returned to the kibbutz to continue his work in the date plantation. During the 13 years that followed the death of his brother Giora, Tomer took upon himself the role of the elder son of the family. Not a day went by without him checking on the welfare of his parents and two younger brothers, Erez and Ronen. He did so also on the day he died before he plummeted to his death while picking dates on the plantation