Cheyon, Shmuel

Shmuel, son of Rachel and Yaakov Cheyon, was born in 1918 in Tiberias and attended the “Kol Yisrael Chaverim” school. After graduating he worked as a laborer. For several years he was married, but since they had no children, he separated from his wife and remained alone. During the bloody riots of 1936-1939 he served as a guard and during the night of the massacre in Tiberias in 1938, he was the only guard at the guard station in Kiryat Shmuel. From this position he fired at the assailants and saved an entire section of the neighborhood from the infiltration of the gangs. For several years he served as the mayor’s bodyguard. At the outbreak of the War of Independence, in the first battle of Tiberias, he operated in one of the most dangerous positions in the Old City. When the food ran out, he volunteered to bring food from his position. On his return, he was hit by a sniper bullet and taken to Shweitzer Hospital. For two days he lay on his deathbed and died on the 3rd of Adar 2, 5708 (March 14, 1948.) He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Tiberias.