Remembering Yitzhak Hochman: Basketball Star and Yom Kippur War Hero
A profile of Yitzhak Hochman, a legendary Israeli basketball star and Yom Kippur War intelligence officer who fell during a rescue operation in Suez City in 1973.
The memory of Yitzhak "Hochaleh" Hochman remains legendary in Israeli basketball, recalling the courts of the 1960s and 1970s. A gifted athlete and standout from the Mikve Israel agricultural school, he combined rare tactical intelligence with deep devotion to his teammates and soldiers. Hochman, an officer in the Yom Kippur War, fell in battle while trying to rescue comrades trapped in a central street of Suez City.
His athletic career was remarkably diverse. He was a driving force behind Elitzur Tel Aviv's promotion from League A to the National League, became the first lower-division player called up to the national team, and shone as a top-tier scorer during a loan season with Hapoel Holon alongside Ofer Ashad and Rami Tzig. His ability to finish equally well with both hands made him a nightmare for opposing defenses. "He developed a technique that didn't exist here back then," recalled his brother, Moti Hochman. "He would pull up for a classic jump shot, and if the defender closed his right side, he simply shifted the ball to his left with the same precision."
A Multisport Talent
Basketball and track were not his only pursuits. In the mid-1960s, while starring on the basketball court, his Wingate Institute classmate Pinhas Shpilman recruited him to rescue Maccabi Tel Aviv's struggling handball team. "He came mid-season," Moti recalled. "He was fast, agile, and had a powerful shot. After half a year, when he saved them from relegation, his basketball coach, Yankale Rosen, told him: 'If you continue with handball, it will hurt your basketball shooting because of the different ball sizes.' Yitzhak didn't hesitate, dropped handball, and refocused entirely on basketball.
Values Above All
Hochman's commitment to his faith and family was absolute. When national team coach Yehoshua Rozin summoned him to the squad, Hochman refused to stay away from the team camp over the Sabbath because he wanted to spend it with his fiancée, Rachel, right before their wedding. "He didn't hesitate for a moment," Rachel said. "Family and values were above any title or national uniform. He told me: 'If they don't understand what a pre-wedding Sabbath means, my future isn't there.' He walked out of the camp and gave up his national team spot with his head held high."
Fall in the Yom Kippur War
During the Yom Kippur War, Hochman served as the intelligence officer for Brigade 500. On October 24, the final day of combat, brigade forces tried to subdue the Egyptian Third Army, and several fighters were ambushed inside Suez City. When reports of casualties flooded the command post, a group of nine volunteers, including the deputy brigade commander and Hochman, set out on a rescue mission into the hostile city.
"As brigade intelligence officer, his place was behind at the command post," his brother said. "But when he heard on the radio that guys were bleeding in the streets of Suez and tanks were stuck, he couldn't just sit aside. He jumped onto the first armored personnel carrier heading in." The vehicle took direct hits from anti-tank weaponry. The 30-year-old Yitzhak and other soldiers were killed instantly, but due to the chaos of the battle, their bodies remained in the field and they were initially listed as missing. Three months later, following arrangements with Egypt, his remains were returned, and he was laid to rest just as his wife Rachel gave birth to their second daughter, Michal.
