Balu, Abraham

Son of Rina (Dina) and Jacob, was born in 1927 in the village of Pazarchik, Bulgaria. He graduated from elementary school and in 1942 immigrated to Israel as part of the Youth Aliya. In Israel he underwent training and worked at Kibbutz Ein Shemer and after two years he was hired as an attendant at the Ata factory to help his parents. He specialized in work, received tenure, married and had a son. During the War of Independence he came to the defense of the homeland and served in one of the “Carmeli” regiments. He took part in operations around Haifa and in repelling the large attack on Ramat Yohanan. After stopping the invasion of the Jordan Valley, our forces took the initiative and attacked the Gilboa area. After gaining control of the Gilboa ridge, the Carmeli Brigade attacked Jenin on the night of June 2-3 and occupied the outposts controlling the city. The Iraqi army, which had moved to Samaria after its failure in the Jordan Valley, concentrated its forces and counterattacked. After the battle on the 3rd of Iyar 5708 (June 3, 1948) he was considered missing and only after a while was his body found. On the 20th of Av 5710 (3.8.1950) he was transferred to eternal rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.