Levi, Shabtai

Son of Sarah and Elijah, was born on 12 July 1930 in the city of Amdia, Iraq. The family immigrated to Israel via the Syrian border and settled in Jerusalem. Shabtai did not receive a perfect education, because from his childhood he had to work and support his poor parents. He worked in a refrigeration workshop, and even worked as a driver. At the young age he joined the Hagana and in the War of Independence (January 1948) he joined the army, served in the Jerusalem Brigade and participated in battles in Sodom, Castel and the Jerusalem frontiers. According to the testimony of his comrades and commanders, he was always one of the first volunteers to take any dangerous action, which required extraordinary courage. He participated in commando, sabotage and explosion operations at Beit Mandelbaum, the Tannous building, the Jaffa Gate and more. When 70 of our soldiers were surrounded, Shabtai volunteered and went out with another soldier in a truck armed with grenades to break through. Twice he encountered a wild crowd of Arabs, overcame him, and knocked him down. He took out the besieged men who were afraid to leave the dangerous shelter and brought them safely to safety. The following day, the district commander made an order of honor in which he praised this act of heroism. Shabtai fell on Mount Zion on October 23, 1948. He was buried in Sheikh Bader Aleph. On the 17th of Elul 5706 (August 30, 1950), he was transferred to eternal rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.