Ozeri, Ezra

Son of Sa’ada and Zechariah (Yechiel) was born in 1925 in the city of Sanar, Yemen, and was educated in the spirit of tradition. In 1942 he came to Israel with Aliyat Hanoar. Ezra worked as a weaver in the Ata factory in Kfar Ata and completed his education in evening classes. He had a connection to poetry and even tried to compose songs and prayers. When his parents immigrated to Israel he was their only supporter, because his four older brothers were married and cared for in families of their own. Out of devotion to the family, he would come to visit the parents and siblings even when the trip from Kfar Ata to Tel Aviv was for the young men like him, and the danger of being caught by the British. From the beginning of the War of Independence, he enlisted among the first soldiers in the army at his place of work in Kfar Ata, served in the Carmeli Brigade and took part in the battles of his battalion. He apologized to his brother for abandoning his duty to his parents, saying that he was willing to give his life to the people. After stopping the invasion of the Jordan Valley, our forces took the initiative and attacked the Gilboa area. After gaining control of the Gilboa ridge, the Carmeli Brigade attacked Jenin on the night of June 2-3 and occupied the outposts controlling the city. The Iraqi army, which had moved to Samaria after its failure in the Jordan Valley, concentrated its forces and counterattacked and our forces were forced to withdraw. In this battle he fell on the 3rd of Iyar 5708 (June 3, 1948). On the 20th of Av 5710 (3.8.1950) he was transferred to eternal rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.