Matza, Elazar (Lazarus)

Son of Esther and Yitzhak, was born in 1924 in the city of Peters, Greece. In his city, he finished high school and went into commerce. Was one of the first Zionists in his city and with all his youthful passion he did for the national foundations. He managed to survive all the horrors of the German occupation and immigrated to Israel immediately after the liberation of Greece from the occupier. He boarded the Haviva Reik in 1946. He spent a short time at Kibbutz Shefayim and moved to Tel Aviv. Elazar was among the first to volunteer, served in the Golani Brigade and participated in battles in the Galilee, Jenin and the Valley. In preparation for Operation Horev to remove the Egyptian army from Israel, the Golani Brigade was demoted to the southern front. Its mission was to act against the Egyptians in the Gaza Strip in order to enthrall them and divert their attention from the main course of the operation in the eastern sector. During this activity, Elazar fell in battle at one of the outposts near the border agriculture, on the 28th of Kislev 5709 (December 28, 1948). Buried within limits. On the 16th of Av 5709 (August 11, 1949) he was put to rest in the Nachlat Yitzhak military cemetery.