Fechter, Ben-Ami (Benny)

Was born on May 5, 1918, in the city of Smiatitz, Poland, and his father, who was a member of the Poalei Zion party, immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1908 and was forced to leave the country for fear of “redeeming blood” He died in his prime when Ben-Ami was a 1-year-old boy, and when Benny was a boy, Ben-Ami stunned all those who knew his virtues: On November 8, 1925, when he was 6, After completing his studies, he continued to study for one year in Degania Aleph and later at the Givat Hashlosha regional school and at Kadouri Agricultural School, which graduated cum laude in 1937. Even during those years, Respect among his friends instinctively After graduating from the Kaduri School, he went on a training course in Degania Aleph and from there went with his friends to a settlement in the land of Hanita, Which was conquered by blood and labor, to establish a Jewish settlement on the mountain, and was found to be a leader and a good friend. son of-Ami was a member of the Haganah and completed the courses of commanders and commanders. His personal qualities: external beauty, energy, generosity, persuasion and devotion to the job, gave him a sense of security, faith in the future and a willingness to face difficulties and dangers. Nevertheless, he behaved modestly and modestly. Because of his outstanding talents, son of-Ami was required to coordinate security matters with the members of the groups. From the middle of 1946 on, he was the commander of the Zevulun district on behalf of the Hagana and would only come home to Hanita for a vacation. He would travel alone on the roads in times of Arab unrest and respond bravely to every attack. On the day after his marriage (25.11.1947), he regained his interest in the service: He organized a Hagash battalion, later known as the Gdud, and was its first commander.In the winter of 1948, with the outbreak of the War of Independence following the UN General Assembly resolution He managed from his headquarters in Kiryat Haim the protection of the isolated points in the Western Galilee and northern Haifa under the most difficult conditions: the Arabs acted openly and the Haganah classes were forced to act in secret because of the strict British supervision. Was forced to send others to dangerous missions while he himself was in command, and voluntarily took command of the convoy to Yehiam On March 27, 1948, the convoy encountered an ambush near the village of Kabri, and Ben-Ami managed the battle in which 47 of the convoy’s members fell, and after standing for hours he wandered in the dark of the night with a few friends towards Yehiam , And they all fell in desperate resistance and were brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Nahariya, after which they were awarded the rank of Major, after which one of the battalions was called, the liberation of the Western Galilee, the main street in Acre and the army camp Hanita Group published a book in his memory. Members of the battalion’s members set up a moshav on the ruins of the village of Kabri called Ben-Ami.