Harkabi, Meir (Iric)

Son of Chaya and Tzedekiah, was born on December 11, 1927 in Tel Aviv, the third generation in the country. From childhood, he was attracted to nature and the village, and after graduating from elementary school he decided to study agriculture. After two years of studies at the agricultural high school in Pardes Hannah, he asked his parents to take him to a school where most of his studies were practical agricultural work and less general studies. He moved to the Kadouri school at the foot of the Tabor. In 1946, he completed his studies and enlisted in the Palmach, where he was sent to Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha and later to Ma’aleh Hahamisha, where he served there in June and was sent to the commander’s course. To Sodom. From there he was returned to Kiryat Anavim for the “Furutzim” battalion in the Harel Brigade. This battalion participated in battles in Castel, Nabi Samuel, Har Zion and Katamon. According to the testimony of his friends, he excelled with great courage among Katamon. When six of his comrades were wounded by the machine gun, he was sent to replace the sixth and for three consecutive hours he fired tirelessly under the enemy’s bullets. In one of his letters to his mother he wrote: “… I have been able to keep silent or to write a book about the past few months, yes, to write a book! He had a sense of humor and liked children and adults. Meir was wounded and died on 24 Iyar 5708 (June 2, 1948), in an attempt to capture the radar camp from the Legion. When his friends called out, “Irik was killed,” he managed to tell them about their mistake and said, “Irik was wounded.” Unconsciously he was brought to surgery and died a few hours later. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Kiryat Anavim