Neemkowski, Menachem (Manhala)

Son of Zina and Zalman was born on July 22, 1930 in Haifa. As a child, his parents moved to Rishon Le Zion. Where he graduated from elementary school and moved to the agricultural school in Mikve Israel. He aspired to continue to study, but first decided to fill the two years of service with a conscripted training program to go on with his fellow settlers. To this end he joined a group of Hanoar Haoved members who received training in the Ramat Yohanan group. In his diary he wrote from that time until the day of his death reflected the degree of seriousness and responsibility in which he entered the burden of new life within the framework of the Palmach, training, work and battle Menachem was sent to a squad commanders’ course, finished him and even managed to train and train a large number of soldiers. Shortly after he left for training, the War of Independence broke out and he enlisted immediately and served in the Yiftah Brigade. Menachem participated in battles in the Western Galilee as a squad commander and as a machine gunner, and saw the loss of dear friends. His fall influenced him the most and then began to write a story: “What the shadow told about the tent”, in the form of a ballad but was able to write 1743 words and did not finish. The beginning of the ballad is: “I knew that I was a boy and a boy, but they were sad …” In anticipation of the expected invasion from Lebanon, the forces of Yiftach seized Kadesh and Malkia to block this axis of progress. The next day the enemy attacked with great force and the force was forced to retreat. In this battle he fell on the fifteenth of Iyar 5708 (May 15, 1948.) He was laid to rest at the cemetery in Maoz Haim.