35 years of volunteering for the public: Haim Otar - Unit 360 volunteer received the President's Medal for Volunteering from the President of the State
In a ceremony held today (Wednesday) at the President's House in Jerusalem, President Yitzhak Herzog awarded Chaim Otar, a 'Unit 360' volunteer, the 'President's Award for Volunteerism' for the year 2014, in recognition and appreciation for his volunteerism for the Israeli public, which has become an integral part of his life over the past 35 years.
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On October 7, when the horrific news from the south began to arrive, Otar devoted most of his time to volunteering in the surrounding communities and in the "Shura" camp, as part of the volunteer teams of Unit 360 operating there, and engaged in the sacred work of receiving bodies, making identification efforts in terrible conditions, and preparing them for burial.
Haim volunteered for various missions under fire. Among other things, he entered Zikim Beach with the security forces to treat the wounded and evacuate the dead.
Volunteering for the benefit of others flows through Haim's veins and is intertwined in all stages of his life: He was born in 1955 in Ramla, where he still lives today, to his father, Rabbi Shlomo Otar, z"l, born in Yemen, and his mother, Miriam, a native of Libya.
In his youth, Haim served for 3 years at Tel Hashomer, and then in reserve service over the years.
About two months after he married his wife Yocheved, she crossed the road and was hit by a passing vehicle, leaving her disabled 100%. Over the years, they had 4 children, all of whom died at young ages. The first at 3 months, the second at 4 months, and the third at 2 years. The last daughter died of the disease at the age of 34 11 years ago, after seven years of marriage, leaving behind two daughters - one at 6 and a half and one at 4, who were left to grow up in Grandpa Haim's house, after their father cut off contact with them.
Despite the difficult life he had and the many troubles that befell him, Haim decided to channel his severe loss into volunteer work for the public. 32 years ago, he established a soup kitchen in Ramla and has operated it every day of the week ever since, benefiting the needy and homeless.
20 years ago, after the passing of his father, who worked at the Cheva Kadisha, Chaim decided to continue his path and also volunteer at the Cheva Kadisha, and since then he has been caring for every deceased person in the city on a full-time basis.
In recent years, Haim has added to his volunteering efforts a volunteering role in 'Unit 360', in which he responds to every call and arrives first at every scene in Ramla and the surrounding area.
