“He did not flee from small things, nor did he pray for great things, and secrets he did not seek.”
Gideon was born on October 16, 1943, in Nahariya. His parents, Ruth and Yaakov Pauker, were among the first two couples to settle in Nahariya.
Gideon arrived in Nir Oz as part of the Gar’in Tzabar group of the Hashomer Hatza’ir youth movement in 1962. Over the years, he worked in agriculture in Nir Oz and served as a Hashomer Hatzair counselor in Yad Eliyahu. He worked in bookkeeping, studied economics at the university, and managed the human resources department at Techen Products, a marketing organization of kibbutzim affiliated with the Kibbutz Artzi movement. He served as treasurer of Nir Oz, CEO of Cooperative HaNegev, economic coordinator of Nir Oz, community manager of Nir Oz, and economic coordinator of Kibbutz Ma’ayan Tzvi. After retiring, he joined the landscaping team and served as kibbutz secretary for one year. At the same time, he chaired various economic committees in the kibbutz.
With the help of friends from the kibbutz, he planted a vineyard and established a winery, a dream of his. He served as the chief vine-grower and winemaker. The wine produced was intended for the personal use of the member partners.
Gideon had four children: Eran and Raz from his first marriage, and Tal and Irit from his marriage to Orna. He was a devoted, loving and supportive family man, a present father who traveled with his children all over the country from north to south. He was always proud of his four children in all they did. Gideon was also a very congenial individual who had many good friends.
He loved the kibbutz and its underlying idea, was not enthusiastic about the transition to the new kibbutz model, but understood that it was unavoidable.
Gideon believed that peace with the Palestinians would come only if we were able to reach agreements with them, not through repeated wars.
Gideon was generous of heart, wise and at times a tireless debater, highly verbal, pragmatic and devoted to his work, while remaining sensitive to those around him. Gideon was a romantic who loved nature and cultivated a beautiful garden around their home.
The winery, Gideon’s dream, became a memorial project honoring Gideon and his friends.
He was 80 years old at the time of his death.
May Gideon’s memory be a blessing.
