Shimshi, Akiva

Son of Leah and Eliyahu, was born on December 7, 1928 in Tel Aviv. After graduating from elementary school, he studied mechanical frames at the Max Payne School and worked in the metalwork shop of the “Shield Shield” factory. From the age of 15 he was a member of the Hagana and the Palmach’s naval unit. It showed the beginnings of a talent for painting and his drawings were characterized by precision and clarity. He was punctual in training despite his hard work. Akiva took a scouts course and the maps and pictures he sketched from the training grounds and patrols were of full military value. After the United Nations General Assembly decided on 29 November 1947 to divide the country into two states and the outbreak of the War of Independence, he took active duty as a combat soldier in the Givati ​​Brigade and took part in the defense of Bat Yam, Holon and the Moledet neighborhood. He was then sent to the defenders of the Keren Kayemet House near the Beit Dagon road, toured the area of ​​Salameh village, and the news of his dangerous trip to Tel Arish helped detonate the large house that served as a position for a heavy machine gun. He took part in patrols, and during the day he was caught in dangerous positions, without being deterred or deterred, and his unit clung to Hill 69, The coast was seized on June 8, 1948. On June 10, 1948, the Egyptians landed a heavy bombardment on the outpost, and then infantry forces attacked it with the aid of armored vehicles. The enemy fire caused the casualties, the collapse of the positions and the damage to the weapons. Under pressure from the enemy, the force retreated from the outpost, and in retaliation in an open area, additional fighters were injured. In this battle fell. A year later his body was found and brought to eternal rest in the Nachlat Yitzhak military cemetery on the 17th of June 1949.