Greenspan, Meir

Meir, son of Sarah and Zalman Greenspan was born on September 24, 1928, in Berlin, the capital of Germany, and immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1936. After completing his studies in the elementary school, he worked in polishing diamonds and studied in the evenings. Meir was a quiet and serious, devoted young man. He joined the Haganah in January 1948. He participated in Palmach operations and joined the Barak Battalion in the Golani Brigade. He participated in the battles of Sejera, Mishmar HaEmek and the Jordan Valley. The Syrians invaded the Jordan Valley on May 14, 1948, took control of several of the area’s outposts. On May 18 the Syrians launched an attack on a plant with the help of artillery and tanks. Our forces did not withstand the intensity of the Syrian attack. At first, the town of Tzemach fell, and finally the police station, and the defenders retreated under Syrian fire towards Degania. In this battle Meir fell on the ninth of Iyar 5708 (18.5.1948), a few hours after returning from his first vacation in his parents’ house after months of fighting. Meir was brought to rest in a grave in the military cemetery in Degania Aleph.