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Elkayam, Saadia (“Suffo”)

Elkayam, Saadia (“Suffo”)


Son of Eliyahu and Esther. Was born on December 24, 1929 in Tel Aviv. Third generation in Israel. A grandfather of a noble family of Moroccans: his grandfather was the adviser to the Turkish Sultan, who left his term in his great love for Zion, and he was the only Jew among the thousands of Arabs in Lod, where he settled; His father, who inherited his house and earned the admiration of all his knowledge, preferred to set up his home in Tel Aviv for the sake of educating his children. After Sa’adia finished his studies at the school, he studied for two years at the Hebrew Gymnasium “Herzliya” and then completed the agricultural institute in son of Shemen. He participated in the War of Independence and fought on various fronts, from Safed in the north to the streets in the south. During his last four years he served in the permanent army. With the rank of captain, he commanded some of the forces participating in the battle in Gaza. On the 27th of Adar 5705 (February 28, 1955) he broke into the head of his soldiers, conquered a protected Egyptian military camp and continued to a second camp at the head of the penetrating squad. After being killed, the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Dayan, praised him for his heroism and exemplary leadership spirit. His memory was mentioned in the book “The Paratroop Wars” by Uri Milstein. In an investigation conducted in 2017, it was emphasized that the chief of staff’s citation was converted to a medal of courage.

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