Capt. Moshe Taranto, z”l

Captain Moshe Trento, the eldest son of Ida and Aharon, brother to Sivan and Yakir, grew up in Ashdod. “Always smiling, a lover of people, nature, and animals, and giving was his second name,” his mother said.

Moshe, known as “Chico” or “Moshiko,” was blessed with many talents. At age four, he was awarded the title of “Young Painter” by the mayor of Ashdod. He was among the first graduating class of the “Nof Yam” elementary school in Ashdod. In high school, he studied at “Makif Vav,” majoring in communications. He was a brilliant student with extraordinary imagination and memory, a bookworm, a “walking encyclopedia.” Moshe had a passion for aviation. He took part in an aeronautics club and could identify every airplane. He also had a gift for languages. He spoke Spanish, taught himself Russian, and mastered the depths of Aramaic. He also taught himself to play classical guitar and was both a creator and a collector of comics. He was a talented athlete and a member of the volleyball team, who also loved abseiling and diving. Salt of the earth, a natural leader, wise, generous, humane, and modest, who combined determination with gentleness and silent strength.

Moshe loved his family deeply and was a devoted son and brother. He loved life. He knew how to appreciate a good meal and was known for his sweet tooth, especially cola-flavored gummy candies and energy bars.

In March 2000, Moshe enlisted in the IDF in the Combat Engineering Corps. At the end of basic training, he went to a Squad Leaders Course, which he completed with distinction. In Officers’ Course, he was recognized as an outstanding cadet and as the unit’s outstanding cadet, and was awarded the gold Platoon Commander pin and the gold Unit pin. He was a charismatic, attentive commander, respected and beloved. During his service, he was even sent to rehabilitate a unit that had been shaken after three of its soldiers were kidnapped to Lebanon.

Moshe dreamed of studying art and had already registered for art studies at the university. In May 2004, shortly before his release, a disaster occurred in Gaza in which his childhood friend, Captain Aviv Hakani z”l, Tunnel Unit Team Leader, was killed. Moshe’s commanders asked him to replace Aviv as the IDF’s Tunnel Officer, a crucial role in the fighting in Gaza. Moshe saw this as a mission. He agreed and signed on for two more years of service. In a newspaper interview, he said: “Every time we go into a tunnel, it’s clear to me that it might be booby-trapped or that there is a danger it could suddenly collapse. Our work is carried out under very high risk.”

For seven months, Moshe served as the IDF’s Tunnel Officer, until he fell. As part of his role, he wrote the IDF’s doctrine of tunnel warfare. A month before he was killed, he located a tunnel leading to a Beit Midrash and saved many lives. Later, during a tunnel search, an explosive device was detonated, and he was wounded. He recovered and returned to his post.

On November 29, 2004, Moshe fell in operational activity on the Philadelphi Route, during a mission to locate and destroy tunnels. He was 23 years old. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Ashdod. On his headstone, his family engraved: “With humility you embraced your family, and with modesty you cared for your soldiers.”

May his memory be blessed.