Ben-Zvi, Eliahu

Son of Rachel and Henoch, was born on 28 July 1913 in Lodz, Poland, at the home of a Chassid. When he was about 12, he immigrated with his parents to Israel. At first they were in Ramat Yishai (Jedda, near Nahalal) and from there they moved to Jerusalem. Eliahu graduated from the elementary school and went to study at the “Mizrachi” teachers’ seminary, but for lack of means he could not continue his studies. He tried to move to a life of work and make a living from plumbing, but found no satisfaction in this work, because his Lev continued to be active among the youth and especially in dealing with the religious youth. Even when he was a student, he joined the Bnei Akiva movement, which was organized in Israel at that time. Years later, he was given permanent work in this movement and devoted himself entirely to it. In 1939 he organized a labor and training camp for his youth movement in Nes Tziona, where he educated dozens of religious pioneers, and worked hard for the occupation of religious youth in Jerusalem and in his last years moved to Bnei Brak, where he continued to work energetically for his movement. From his youth, he was a member of the Hagana and was always forced to take part in the operation, and Eliahu fell in Kfar Ono on the 11th of June 1948 and was brought to rest in the Nachlat Yitzhak military cemetery. He left behind a wife, Adina, and a daughter.