Anker, Azriel

Son of Hanna and Moshe was born in 1930 in Jerusalem and finished elementary school there. He studied mechanics and was a member of the Hanoar Haoved movement. Together with his friends in the branch, he chose the path of fulfillment and went out with them to a junior high school in Shfayim. The members experienced many difficulties and many of them retired from the training. Azriel was one of the few who stood the test and said to join recruits. Was a simple and dedicated boy at work, in society, and in the army. After being drafted into the army, he served in the Yiftach Brigade and fought in the Upper Galilee, and later in the Latrun and Gezer regions. Gezer was located next to the Ramle-Latrun road, and the Legion forces in the area saw it as a threat and asked it to be taken in preparation for the approaching truce. On the 28th of Iyar 5708 (June 6, 1948), towards noon, the enemy force, which consisted of a Legion Company, organized irregular and armored forces and attacked the kibbutz. Heavy enemy fire destroyed the defensive positions and paralyzed any possibility of organized resistance. The enemy managed to break into the agriculture and conquer it. Azriel fell in this battle. He was buried in Na’an. On May 18, 1950, he was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.