Kuseif, Ephraim

Son of Rivka and Yonah, was born in January 1926 in Samarkand, Russia, to a well-known Bukharian family. His grandfather built a magnificent synagogue in Samarkand and the family built the “Beichal Menachem” synagogue in Tel Aviv. When he was six years old, he was orphaned from his mother. Ephraim immigrated to Israel in 1933, lived in Jerusalem and studied in religious schools, and after graduating he worked as a driver and at the same time established a time for the Torah, and was a strong, honest and humble member of Bnei Akiva. When the War of Independence broke out, he enlisted and took his tefillin bag to the army. On 9 Adar 2, 5708, he volunteered to come to the besieged Gush Etzion, where he was forced to land in the hills of Jerusalem and went on foot to Ramat Rachel and the next day he went on a convoy to the Gush. He joined a religious fighting unit in the Jerusalem Brigade and participated in the battles of Castel, Sheikh Jarrah and Sharma, and fell at Sha’ar Hagai during Operation “Maccabi” for the breakthrough to Jerusalem on 4 Iyar, 13.5.1948. He was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery in Sanhedria in Jerusalem.