Altshtein, Yaakov (Yankele)

Son of Susia-Lea and Avraham, was born in 1931 in the town of Kurz on the Polish-Ukrainian border. When he was three years old, he immigrated with his parents to Israel. After graduating from the “Bilu” elementary school in Tel Aviv, he went to Kibbutz Alonim for a two-year period of work in the kibbutz and became a farmer. And he moved to Givat HaShlosha, where he was a cheerful young man who loved music, wrote in the training leaflet, which was one of its initiators, and with the outbreak of the War of Independence he and his comrades were drafted into the Palmach and transferred to the Negev. Yaakov returned to the city after a social crisis in the training group. He joined the group that had completed his studies at Mikvah Israel and was about to leave for the Geva group. However, the battles in Israel worsened and all the boys enlisted and were placed in a unit called “Gevirat Geva” in the “Yiftah” Brigade, and with it participated in the battles. In preparation for the first truce, the Yiftah Brigade was demoted to the central region and took part in the fighting in the Latrun area. At the end of the first truce, the brigade participated in Operation Dani and on the night of July 17-18, 1948, towards the beginning of the second truce, the Haemek Battalion seized Shilat and an outpost in the eastern part of the Korikor ridge, threatening the Wing of the Legion in Latrun. In the morning it became clear that the Legion force was holding the western part of the ridge. The enemy attacked the force in the outpost from two directions with the aid of armored vehicles, and that was forced to withdraw. In the harsh retreat in an open area under crossfire, many of the fighters fell. Yaakov was also killed on the 11th of Tammuz 5708 (18.7.1948) and he was only 17. On the 11th of Adar 5702 (28.2.1950) he was put to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.