Teper, Menachem

Son of Rivka and Shmuel, was born on November 26, 1926, in the city of Narol, Galicia, Poland. At the outbreak of World War II, he was exiled with his parents, three brothers and sister to the far reaches of Siberia. After their release from Siberia, during his wanderings, his parents died in Bukhara, and he, the eldest son of 15, became a father to his orphaned brother and sister. In 1943, after many wanderings, they arrived in Eretz Israel via Teheran in the framework of Youth Aliyah. At the outbreak of the War of Independence, Menachem joined the army and participated in battles in Mishmar Ha’emek, in the purification of the Galilee, in Haifa and its neighborhoods, in the “Triangle”, in Rosh HaAyin, in Migdal Tzedek and in Kolah. He passed a heavy machine-gun course and was attached to the Alexandroni Brigade. On July 15, 1948, his company replaced another company from the Brigade in the posts east of Kula, and was not yet able to prepare and dig in properly. Aided by artillery fire and armored vehicles, the Legion forces swept the posts at the front post and forced the company to withdraw. In this battle Menachem fell on the ninth day of Tammuz 5708 (July 16, 1948.) He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.