Kurtz, Asher

Son of Rivka and Mordechai, was born in January 1909 in the town of Pomorzany, Galicia, Poland. He immigrated to Israel in 1932, he joined a kibbutz in Rehovot. In 1936 he joined the Haganah and was among those who set out to work on the construction of the “Northern Fence” (the Teigret fence) during the bloody riots of 1936-1939. Asher devoted himself to training. In the War of Independence, the soldiers enlisted in the Kiryati Brigade and during the operation “Dani” our forces took control of the Modi’in area. On September 23, 1948, the outpost was attacked by local Arabs and with the help of the Legion, in violation of the truce. The defenders of the outpost were surprised and forced to retreat in light of the enemy’s superiority, and many were injured in the severe retreat. The next day, our forces attacked and conquered the outpost. In this battle, Asher fell on the 20th of Elul 5708 (24.9.1948) and was brought to rest in the Nahalat Yitzhak Military Cemetery, leaving a wife, Tzilla, and an eight-year-old daughter.