Heaven and Earth

As a youth,worked as a hamburger delivery man. On one of his shifts, he was stuck without his wallet and without gas. He walked his motorcycle to the gas station and the attendant was kind enough to help him out. Raanan returned after his shift with a basket full of food and drink for the attendant and the rest of the staff. The clip captures a human moment that so characterized his life. 

In memory of Sargent First Class Raanan (Rani) Komemi

Raanan was born in 1980 on Moshav Aminadav. He was the youngest child of Yekara and Zecharia and brother to Shirit, Ayelet, Orit and Ortal. He was very wise and realized that he didn’t know everything and therefore he was never embarrassed to ask and to investigate. Raanan was the only pupil that came in to the principal’s office every day in order to say good morning. In Grade 6 and 7, he attended the Maimon State Religious School in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem. In Grade 9–12, he attended the Spanian ORT High School, which is also in Jerusalem. 

Despite his mother’s opposition, Raanan—who was the only son in the family—was determined to join an elite combat unit. After passing the entrance exams for the General Headquarters Commando Unit, he instead decided to request Shayetet 13 (naval commandos). His request was rejected due to his eyesight. He decided to do everything he could to fulfill his dream and chose to delay his service until after he had an operation to improve his eyesight. 

Raanan (Rani) Komemi z"l

While he was waiting to join the army, Rani studied electronics in Grade 13 at the Spanian ORT School during the mornings and in the evening hours worked as a delivery man for a hamburger chain. He paid for the laser treatment of his eyes using the money he earned. With the money that was left over, he surprised his mother by announcing that he had bought the two of them tickets to London. Rani and his mother thus travelled to London during the time that remained until he joined the army. They both had a great time and Rani felt great that he had managed to cheer his mother up.

On the moshav, Rani hid the fact that he is a member of the Shayetet and took off his uniform immediately on arriving home. 

Rani loved motorcycles and got a license to drive a 500 cc motorcycle. He rode all around the Judean desert. As an amateur participant in extreme sports, he tried parachuting, diving, rappelling and mountain climbing. In his youth, he played basketball with the Elitsur Jerusalem team. He also loved to read and in particular about war heroes. He also liked hanging out with friends and going to movies. 

On the night of Thursday, September 4th 2003, the naval commandos surrounded a high-rise building in Nablus where Muhammad Hanbeli, a senior member of Hamas, was located. While the soldiers were searching the third floor, he opened fire on them. Raanan showed his bravery by breaking down the door of the elevator in order to find the Hamas fugitive. He took his first step on the stairs and was killed in an exchange of fire. He fell on the 8th of Elul 5763 (September 5th, 2003) at the age of 23. His uncle, Menashe Komemi, who was a policemen in the Border Patrol, was killed a year later in a terrorist attack.  

Oh his headstone, it says: “This brave soldier of Shayetet 13, who was humble and loved, gave his life to save his friends and his people.”

Ron Levine, creator of the clip: 
When I read Raanan Komemi’s story, I felt the wind of adventure. I decided to create a short clip that would combine several stories about Rani, since one anecdote alone would not be enough to fully do the job and to convey the joy and the lightness that shone out at me from between the lines. 

I saw two images combined into one: An energetic lad who was an enthusiast of motorcycles and extreme sports, in contrast to a quiet youth who was kindhearted and tolerant of everyone around him. I chose to express these two sides of Rani by presenting the two worlds between which he navigated: in a world of relative reality, Jerusalem is revealed to us as greyish and rainy.

Rani, the Jerusalemite, was a clean-cut and dedicated youth who worked as a delivery man in Jerusalem. It was important to him to make all of his deliveries even when that wasn’t a simple task. When Rani the delivery man encountered a challenge, he would buckle up his helmet and conjure up the second Rani, the adventurer riding the roads. Closing his helmet opens up a fantasy world of colorful and exotic places, in which Rani is a brave motorcyclist going out on exciting journeys in which he climbs, jumps and dives in order to get to where he needs to go. 

When Rani runs out of gas on his deliveries and has no money, Shadi the gas station attendant helps him out. Rani doesn’t forget that and returns the favor. The two develop a friendship that is a symbol of tolerance, consideration of others and coexistence, a testimony to Rani’s unique character. 

I had the honor of creating this clip in memory of Rani and to weave the characteristics of his personality together into one creation. I feel that I got to know him a bit in the process, even though I will unfortunately never get to meet him.