A story collection
Heroes
At the decisive moment, when every reason told them to retreat, they charged forward, and some paid with their lives. Read here about the heroes to whom we owe being here today.
Aharon (Jimmy) Shemi
The promising Palmach fighter who was killed by a bullet in Beit Shemesh, leaving behind letters and sketches that became one of the most moving memorial books of 1948.
Orde Charles Wingate
The British officer who trained the Hebrew fighters, founded the Special Night Squads, and became the father of the military doctrine of the state-in-the-making.
Isabel Pedro
Behind the quiet appearance of a European architect was one of the Mossad's boldest female agents. She infiltrated enemy countries, drew secret maps, and always came back to tell the tale.
Eitan Naveh
The machine gunner who single-handedly covered his comrades at Ammunition Hill, running exposed through the trenches of death, and whose death made him a model of the paratroopers' heroism in Jerusalem.
Eliezer Moshe Arkin
The Palmach fighter who was mortally wounded during the daring raid to blow up the British radar station on Mount Carmel, and stayed behind to ensure his friends could retreat.
Eliezer Sharon Sudit ('Beggar')
The Irgun fighter who blasted through the walls of Manshiyya's houses during the conquest of Jaffa and escaped from a British prison, later serving in some of the Mossad's boldest operations around the world.
Alexander Zaid
Beyond the famous statue of the rider on horseback in the Sheikh Abreik hills lies a wild story of loneliness, unimaginable courage, and daily struggles for survival. Discover the legendary watchman who became a symbol of Jewish settlement and paid for it with his life.
Arik Regev
The commander of the Jordan Valley Brigade, who led pursuits of terrorists from the front during the forgotten War of Attrition and lost his life on the border with Jordan.
Bracha Fuld
A young Haganah member killed by British gunfire on the streets of Tel Aviv while securing an operation to bring in illegal immigrants, she became a symbol of the struggle for free immigration.
Joe Alon
A daring fighter pilot and one of the founders of Hatzerim Air Base, he escaped the horrors of the Holocaust as a child and was murdered in a mysterious shooting at the entrance to his home in Washington, in a case that continues to intrigue the intelligence world to this day.
John Henry Patterson
The Protestant British officer and ardent Zionist who proudly took command of the Jewish battalions during the First World War.
Dvora Kalfus Nehushtan
"The Irgun's number one female fighter" marched barefoot through the mud and took part in blowing up the British planes at Lydda, to clear the skies over the country for ships carrying immigrants.
David (Dudu) Cherkaski
The charismatic commander Haim Hefer wrote about: "Tell me, is there another Palmach fighter like Dudu?" He fell in the assault on the Fortress of the 28 (Nabi Yusha).
Hadassah Lampel
The brave signaler whose calm voice was the last sign of life from the burning half-track at Latrun, reporting under fire until her final breath.
Zehara Levitov
The first female fighter pilot, carrying within her the grief of losing her beloved Shmulik, who had fallen in battle; their story of love and loss became the defining myth of the 1948 generation.
Haviva Reik
The fighter who embarked on a suicide mission behind Nazi enemy lines for the sake of her tormented brothers and sisters. She parachuted into the unknown in Slovakia, organized the uprising, and fought bravely until she fell.
Yehudit Yehezkeli-Galili
The woman who worked in the shadows and took part in daring intelligence operations and arms smuggling. Under assumed identities and a heavy veil of secrecy, she served the country in its most dangerous places.
Yosef Zaltzman
One of the founders of the Kinneret group, he was murdered in an ambush in the colony's fields and became the group's first fallen member, whose blood bound it forever to the soil of the valley.
Yael Rom
She was the first woman to break the glass ceiling and complete the IDF flight course; as a transport pilot, she flew the paratroopers to Mitla for Operation Kadesh.
Yaakov (Jacob) Ohayon
The immigrant from Morocco who reported as a recruit to the foremost front line of the War of Independence and fought with supreme bravery in the battles of the Negev until he fell defending the land.
Yaakov Granek ("The Blond Dov")
Lehi’s daring operations commander, who terrorized the British with face-to-face raids until he fell in an assault on the Iraq Suwaydan outpost in the Negev.
Chaeronea
Ancient Greece's elite unit, made up of pairs of lovers who swore to fight to their last drop of blood. The story of the warriors' heroism and absolute sacrifice, commemorated by the giant lion statue after the historic battle.
Modi Alon
The commander of the first fighter squadron, who personally shot down enemy aircraft over Tel Aviv alongside Ezer Weizman, saving the country in its early days.
Mira (Miriam) Ben-Ari
The brave radio operator of Nitzanim who refused to evacuate, shot the Egyptian officer at point-blank range, and fell to ensure the honor of the kibbutz's fighters.
The Sturman Family
The matriarch of a dynasty that lost a husband, sons, and a grandson in Israel's security campaigns, and remained an enduring symbol of steadfastness and endless sacrifice in the Harod Valley.
Nissim Gini
The ten-year-old boy who served as a messenger between battle positions in the besieged Jewish Quarter, and became the youngest fallen soldier in the history of the Israel Defense Forces.
Netiva Ben-Yehuda
The clear-voiced fighter who brought the language of the Palmach into the heart of Israeli culture. With no barriers and no filters, she fought for the country's independence and for the spoken language.
Amos Yarkoni
The Bedouin fighter who volunteered for the IDF, overcame severe injuries, and became a legendary tracker and the celebrated commander of the Shaked Reconnaissance Unit.
Keren Tendler
The only female airborne mechanic in the Yasur fleet, she fought for the chance to reach the front and fell in the Second Lebanon War when her helicopter was shot down.
Rebecca Grabovsky
The mother who paid the highest price of all for the revival of the Jewish people and the defense of the homeland in the Land of Israel. From the unbearable grief and loss of her sons, she emerged as a symbol of resilience and inner strength.
Robert the Bruce
The legendary Scottish king who fought the English all his life. His companions removed his heart and carried it on a long journey to be buried in Jerusalem.
Rachel Habashush
The daring Irgun fighter who never hesitated to lead complex and dangerous operations. With rare courage and composure, she repeatedly evaded British intelligence in pursuit of the cause.
Richard Meinertzhagen
The brilliant, flamboyant British intelligence officer serving under General Allenby, who outwitted the Turks with ingenious deception operations during the campaign to conquer Palestine.
Shulamit Kishik Cohen
The Israeli spy who operated in the heart of Beirut, embedded in Lebanese government circles, saved thousands of Jews, and escaped the gallows in a historic prisoner exchange.
Shimon Alfasi
The revered platoon commander at the Battle of Castel, who called out the order that became part of the spirit of the IDF: "The privates will retreat; the commanders will stay behind to cover them," and fell while using his body to shield his soldiers as they retreated.
Tamar Eshel
The life of the "Israeli Wonder Woman" seemed straight out of a thrilling spy novel. She served in British intelligence, worked for the Haganah, and devoted decades to security and women's rights.