Bettelheim, Jacob (Ladislav, Laszlo, Latzi)

Son of Miriam and Alexander, was born in 1906 in the city of Chturalia-Ohel in northern Hungary. He graduated in Hungary from a high school of mechanics and was certified as a mechanical engineer. In 1933 he immigrated to Israel, worked as an engineer in an industrial factory in Ramat Gan and lived with his wife in the Tel-Yehuda neighborhood. During the War of Independence, he served in one of the infantry battalions in the “Kiryati” Brigade and participated in the battles of Kula and Tira in the Judean Lowland. The entry of the second truce into force took place in the area, one of which was from the 219th Regiment. The area was calm and the force was held by the elite unit of the Kiryati Brigade. On September 24, 1948, local Arabs, with the help of the Legion, unexpectedly attacked the outpost while violating the truce. The defenders of the outpost were surprised and forced to retreat in light of the enemy’s superiority, and many were injured in the severe retreat. The next day, our forces attacked and conquered the outpost. In this battle Jacob fell on September 24, 1948. A monument in his memory was erected in the military cemetery at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and the space is a macaloon – a space whose burial place is unknown.