Shira Ornit Schwartz was born on October 23, 1973 in New York to Charles and Eliora, the oldest of four children. The family made aliyah to Tel Aviv in 1981, when Shira was nine years old. Her education began at the Ramaz Elementary School in New York was completed in the Gavrieli Elementary School in Tel Aviv and at the Ironi D High School.
Shira was a member of the “Lehava” organization, which initiates encounters between Israeli youth and Jewish youth from the Diaspora, within the framework of the Israeli Forum. She was a member of a tour group of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and later served as a tour guide. Although exempt from army service due to having had heart surgery as a child, Shira did not give up her right to serve in the army, and in November 1990 she volunteered for military service, where she was stationed in Military Intelligence and served as an interpreter in the Foreign Relations Department. She served during the Gulf War. Shira loved her service and was infused with pride.
On June 27, 1992, two months before the end of her service, Shira passed away while on active duty from heart failure while at home.
Shira was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul. She is survived by her parents, two brothers and a sister.
