Neiss (Gottholtz), Yaakov

Yaakov, son of Sarah and Moshe Gotholtz (Neiss) was born in Poland on July 9, 1905. He was educated in the spirit of tradition but as an adult, bound his soul to Zionism. He joined the Hechalutz movement and took agricultural training in order to immigrate to Eretz Israel. When he came to Israel with a permit in 1936, he found the Yishuv fighting for Arab attacks. At the outbreak of the bloody riots of 1936-1939, he enlisted in the Nutras, and as a former soldier-retired was sent to the Upper Galilee.
Yaakov was kind and always ready to come to the aid of others. In 1940 he volunteered, under the order of his superiors, to the British Army and was attached to the Jewish Brigade. After the annihilation of the Nazi enemy, he stayed to help survivors in Italy and France. After four and a half years of service he returned to Israel. At the outbreak of the War of Independence in the winter of 1948, he volunteered for the army despite his age and poor health and served in the Jerusalem Brigade. Asked why he was doing this, he answered: “I, who knew how to serve in the Polish army and the British army, should not serve in the Israeli army?” Yaakov served faithfully, with devotion and heroism until he fell in battle on Mount Zion on the 6th of Av, 5708 (August 11, 1948) and was buried in Sheikh Bader A. On the 17th of Elul 5710 (August 30, 1950) he was transferred to eternal rest in the military cemetery at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.