Yechulman, Yechiel (Ilya, Hilik)

Shimon was born on the 14th of Tevet 1921 in Riga, the capital of Latvia, and was a good and obedient student who was eager to help his mother at home (as a teenager he played a lot of toys) He studied at the “Tushiya” National School and at the age of 12 joined the “Religious Guard.” When his parents immigrated to Israel in 1935, he continued his studies At the “Tachkemoni” school in Tel Aviv, at Yeshivat “HaYeshuv HaChadash” in Tel Aviv, and finally studied and was ordained as a teacher at the Mizrachi Teachers’ Seminary in Jerusalem. Religious “Bnei Akiva” and the religious sports organization “Elitzur.” Shortly after the family immigrated to Israel, life here was quite difficult and the family was talking about the possibility of returning to Riga, he announced – and he was then 15 years old – that he would never leave the country. His studies devoted himself to the organization of the Palmach’s religious company, and did the training, the training, the work and the journeys, in keeping with the observance of the commandments and the setting of times for the Torah. His devotion to Judaism was rooted and the problems of religion in the Yishuv were at the center of his interest and ambition. He saw the weakening of religious life in the Yishuv as the result of assimilation in European culture and the possibility of reviving it. He saw the religious agricultural settlement, first and foremost in the religious kibbutz. On the other hand, he did not relate with full faith to the religious declarations of party members, which may be diverted from the target. On the other hand, he tolerated the non-religious and appreciated their positive qualities from a national and human point of view, but he knew that his path was different and that he should not depart from it. Although he was recognized as a talented teacher, aspiring to agriculture. He studied at Mikvah Israel for a while and served there as a guide for immigrant youth. After leaving Mikvah Israel he would borrow more books from the school library to complete his knowledge of agriculture. For a year he specialized in working with a farmer in Moshav Sde Ya’akov and later was a member of a group of extensions. He liked the work and its difficulties, and everywhere he turned out to be a devoted and intelligent man who was Simcha to benefit others. Behind the plow he was called to return to teaching and training at the “Aliyah” institution of the religious youth movement in Petah Tikva. From there he was called in 1948 to return to the Palmach service and volunteered to go to the aid of Kfar Etzion, the place where his soul had stuck since his days. In the village he saw the implementers of his principles and his aspiration for a holy life rooted in holy land. All the paths around the village were as clear as his palm. Yechiel served in one position, as commander and instructor of a new Palmach unit. He participated in guarding and defending the fortifications and battles until he fell on the day of the fall of the village on May 13, 1948. On the 17th of Cheshvan 5710 (17.11.1949) he was put to rest with the fallen soldiers of the military cemetery at Har- Herzl in Jerusalem.