Michael “Miki” Mark’s greatest joys were his family and learning Torah, and he immersed himself in both. Miki was born in 1969. He met his wife Chavie in the Ezra youth group. They were married when Miki was 18, and Chavie 17 while Miki was a student at Yeshivat Har Etzion. Chavie, the daughter of Rabbi Aaron ז"ל and Ayelet Batt, is a dual American-Israeli citizen. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and came on aliya in 1971 with her parents at age 7 months. After serving in the Armored Corps, Miki transferred to the Otniel Yeshiva, and served as its administrator for the next 14 years. At the same time, he became a part-time administrator of Yeshivat Torat Shraga in Jerusalem, a post he held until his death.
In 2006 Miki became the director of the South Hebron Hills Regional Council, contributing greatly to the development of the settlements in the area. Although not a rabbi, he was a born teacher. He led study groups over the years in Otniel, and most recently a class in Kabbalah in the city of Shoham as well. In 2015 he retired from the Regional Council and returned to the Otniel Yeshiva as a part-time administrator, thus fulfilling his dream of spending most of his day in the Yeshiva study hall.
On Friday July 1, 2016, Miki and Chavie were on their way to Jerusalem with two of their children. Shortly after they left Otniel, shots were fired at the car. Miki was killed instantly, and Chavie and the children were also injured. In addition to Chavie, Miki is survived by their ten children and four grandsons, his mother, sister and brother, and a grieving extended family and friends. Miki will be remembered as a man who sought to bring people together despite their differences.
