Levi, Eliyahu

Eliyahu, son of Adina and Avraham Levi, was born in 1932 in Tel Aviv to working parents. His childhood was spent in the Hatikva neighborhood. After completing elementary school, he worked in shoemaking. He was active in the ranks of the Haganah and at the outbreak of the War of Independence he served in the “Kiryati” Brigade and maintained positions in his neighborhood and Yad Eliyahu.
Eliyahu was among the defenders of the “Yotzek” factory, a guard post on the way to the south and Jerusalem. On February 29, 1948, a British army force arrived, accompanied by Arab gangs. The British confiscated the defenders’ weapons and left the area, abandoning the men unarmed to the mercy of the Arabs. Some of the defenders managed to escape. Eliyahu was among the fallen on the 19th of Adar I 5708 (29.2.1948). He was laid to rest in the military cemetery at Nahalat Yitzhak. His character was noted by his friends in these words: “Humble, devoted to his parents, faithful to his people.”