Cohen, Moshe-Haim

Son of Yaffa and Jacob, was born on May 13, 1931 in Zichron Yaakov. After graduating from elementary school he studied at a vocational school in Haifa and worked as an electrician in the city. He joined the Hanoar Haoved movement and the Hagana and served there from the Gadna and later stages, and according to his friends’ stories he loved the homeland and was ready to sacrifice his main content. He served in one of the Harel Brigade battalions. After his participation in the first battle, near Hulda, where some of our boys fell, he worried about his commander when he did not return with the others. When they looked for him they found him retreating and walking heavily under the weight of the machine gun he was carrying on his shoulder. When the commander asked if he was not afraid of his life, he replied that there were thousands of men like him, but the machine gun was one and only. Moshe-Haim participated in escorting convoys to Jerusalem, went through sabotage in Jerusalem and volunteered for daring sabotage operations. He participated in the conquest of the Castel, in the battles of Sheikh Jarrah and Katamon. 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. In this battle he fell on Monday, June 9, 1948. On the 17th of Cheshvan 5710 (17.11.1949), he was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.