Ben-Arieh (Lapin), Amos

Born in Tel Aviv on December 13, 1926, he moved to Tel Yosef, where his parents moved to Nes Tziona in 1933. He completed his studies at the elementary school, moved to a high school in Rishon Lezion and from there went to study at the vocational school After the completion of this school, he enlisted in the Palmach. In the years 1936-1939 he joined the Haganah and served as a liaison in Ness Ziona. When he was told that he was still a child and that he should not run under a shower of gunfire, he answered: “In the history of Israel, the children are among the fighters and the fallen.” Amos traveled a lot and knew all the paths of the country. He studied in the course of scouts and excelled in his sense of orientation in the field. He served for four years in the Palmach, where he spent two years at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, and recently served as a platoon commander in the Harel Brigade. In the framework of the Palmach, he participated in the movement of illegal immigrants to Israel during the “Wingate Night” in Tel Aviv, and before the War of Independence he was discharged from the Palmach for poor health and wanted to continue his studies at the Hebrew University. The day of the UN General Assembly resolution on November 29, 1947, he found him in a hospital after surgery and decided to return to the Palmach. The doctors objected to his return to combat duty and allowed him to deal only with training novices; But he did not accept that he had to send other people to the front, and demanded that he be transferred to combat duty. His demand was met and Amos participated in the breakthrough to Jerusalem and the battles in Jerusalem, breaking into the Old City, conquering the outposts on the Shaar Hagai road and the battles over Latrun. During escorting convoys to Kfar Etzion he held the enemy from afar with his machine gun until the reinforcements arrived. He also took part in the difficult battle for the release of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, which he was especially impressed with by his strong connection to this place. “Aryeh attacks his department head,” his friends called him. On the night of June 8-9, 1948, he went with his battalion to the “Yoram” operation – the third attack on Latrun. Because of a mistake in navigating, the battalion was on the 14th deck, instead of the thirteenth position as planned. The fighters attacked the outpost and succeeded in capturing part of it, and during the fierce battle many of them were injured. The enemy’s resistance was fierce, and due to the casualties, there was no power to complete the conquest of the outpost and an order was given to withdraw. Amos was seriously wounded in the battle and in order not to burden his friends, he wanted to keep him in the field. He decided not to be taken prisoner, smashed himself with a hand grenade and fell on the 9th of June 1948. Amos was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Anavim, and was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant.