Rogachevsky, Gedalyahu (Roga)

The only son of Tova and Arieh was born in Tel Aviv on January 16, 1929. His father was active during the 1917 revolution in Russia, and as a volunteer he volunteered for the Jewish Legion and in this spirit he raised Gedaliah. At age 16, Gedalyahu worked as a clerk and metalworker at the Tel Aviv port. He joined the “HaKoach” sports association and was one of its best players in the soccer team. He was a devoted son, gentle, modest, courageous, self-contained, dedicated and loyal. On November 29, 1947, with the division of the country into two states and the outbreak of the War of Independence, Gedalyahu joined the Givati ​​Brigade. He took part in escorting the first convoy to besieged Ben Shemen, which set out on rosh Chodesh Tevet, December 14, 1947, from Petah Tikva, with seven cars with 48 reinforcements. The convoy traveled through Migdal Tzedek and Beit Nabala and managed to advance despite the fire from a number of places and despite the mishaps that occurred to the vehicles. When it reached the army camps in Beit Nabala,the convoy was fired at by a unit of the Arab Legion that was there. In this battle Gedalyahu fell. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery at Nahalat Yitzhak. His grieving father died shortly after his fall. In the children’s village Meir Shfeya a grove was planted in his memory – “Gedalyahu Grove”. His memory was mentioned in the booklet “How Heroes Fell”