Avichai Rontzki
Avichai Rontzki (, October 10, 1951 – April 1, 2018) was an Israeli Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. He served in the position from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Israel Weiss. Rontzki was also the rosh yeshiva of the Hesder Yeshiva in Itamar. Biography Rontzki was born to a secular Jewish family, and studied at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa. He became religious while serving in the army. In 1969, he began his military career in Shayetet 13, but did not complete the training course and transferred to the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. He completed the squad leader course and Officer Candidate School, and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade to serve as a platoon leader and as company Executive officer at the 890 "Efe" (Echis) paratroop battalion. Later on, he transferred to Sayeret Shaked, and served as a company commander in the Yom Kippur War. During this time, he began a process of repentance with his wife Ronit, who he had met in his unit. Rontzki studied at Machon Meir and Mercaz HaRav, and also was involved with instructing street kids in Jerusalem. In 1980, he