Alkalai, Yitzhak
Yitzhak, son of Dora and Jacques Alkalai, was born on December 8, 1928 in Sofia, Bulgaria. As a child he lost his father. Yitzhak was beloved by all his acquaintances and friends, who called him by the nickname Zuzi. Yitzhak immigrated to Israel with his uncle in 1942. He was a quiet and responsible young man. Yitzhak, a member of the Haganah, loved his homeland, served in the Givati Brigade and participated in battles in the southern region. On the night of June 2-3, 1948, during the “Philistine” operation, the Givati forces attacked the Egyptian alignment near the Ashdod Bridge. The assault was halted by heavy enemy fire and the forces were forced to retreat. The attack failed, but forced the Egyptians to halt their advance northwards. In this battle Yitzhak fell on the 25th of Iyar 5708 (June 3, 1948) and was laid to rest at the military cemetery in the village of Varburg.