Elbaz, Nathan

Son of Masoud and Rachel, who relate to a chain of well-known rabbis. He was born on 17.10.1932 in Tzofar, Morocco. One of his friends relates that as early as 1948 he wanted to immigrate to Israel as part of Aliyah Bet but that his parents delayed him. Finally, in 1951, he managed to leave the house when his parents did not know where he was heading. So far, his parents have received a letter from Israel. In January 1952, he was drafted into the IDF, and on February 11, 1954, he was involved in the dismantling of grenades in his tent. Feeling threatened by his friends nearby, he hurried away from them as he pressed the grenade into his chest – and thus he died. This exceptional act of heroism was praised by the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Dayan, who was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul on the Independence Day of 1944. The Association of North African Immigrants announced in Israel the status of ministers, Members of the Knesset, representatives of the IDF and a large audience for the establishment of a club and library in Jerusalem to commemorate his name Natan Alterman devoted one of his poems to the “Seventh Column” in memory of the “Elbaz soldier.” Six years later, A military camp “Natan Camp” near Beersheba was established, and during an investigation in 2017 it was updated that the Chief of Staff’s citation was converted to a masterpiece.