Horowitz, Zerubavel (Bavel)
Son of-Hanna-Batya and Shlomo-Levi was born in 1913 in the city of Zizmer, Lithuania, where he immigrated to Palestine with his parents and stayed with his brother at Kibbutz Tel Yosef, where he completed his studies at the joint school and enlisted To the Palmach. Zrubavel volunteered for the British army, joined the Jewish Brigade and served there for a year and a half. When he returned to the farm, he worked in fodder and harvested clover, and became a dedicated and loyal farmer who loved the landscape of his village with all his might. Babel, as his friends called him, was recognized as modest, quiet and humble, with a gentle and loving soul, impressed by beauty and art. In the British army he was a sniper (second in a sniper competition in the Suez Canal area), and when the battles of the War of Independence broke out, he was one of the first to win the battle, and among the escorts of the convoys. On the morning of Saturday, March 27, 1948, a large convoy left Jerusalem to bring supplies to the besieged Gush Etzion. The intention was to take advantage of the surprise, for the Arabs did not expect a convoy on the Sabbath, quickly unload the equipment and return to Jerusalem. The convoy arrived at Gush Katif without incident, but was delayed at the site. This time allowed the Arabs to organize and call for regional forces. On the way back, the caravan encountered several roadblocks and fired at it, but managed to reach al-Khadr, about 2 kilometers south of Bethlehem, where it encountered a large checkpoint and an Arab mob fired at it. About five hours later, the armored personnel carriers stood in a fierce battle against the hundreds of rioters, most of the people were injured, the armored vehicle burned, but Zerubavel managed the battle until the last minute. While the rioters approached the burning armored vehicle, blew it up on himself and his friends, causing heavy casualties Zerubavel was killed on the 16th of Adar 2, 5708 (March 27, 1948) and buried in Sanhedria in Jerusalem On 20 Tammuz 5709, Zerubavel was among the first 12 heroes of Israel to receive the “Hero of Israel” for their courage and spirit Intrepid. In 1973, after receiving the decorations law in the Knesset, this was replaced by a medal of heroism. On the fifteenth of Cheshvan 5711 (15.11.1951) he was put to rest at the military cemetery at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
