The "balcony" with the 4 signs on it, was photographed by the same photographer that day
Click for a larger image The other signs on the "balcony" were taken by the same photographer:
Board 2
Click for a larger image Board 3
Click for a larger image Board 4
Click for a larger image On the hill is also the monument to the victims of the Battle of Qaqun
Click for sign's details Translation of the text on the sign:
Symbol of the Nature and Parks Authority
Symbol of the Alexandroni Brigade
Qaqun loyalist symbol
Emblem Emek Hefer Local Council
Symbol of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
We "loyal to Tel Qaqun" from the residents of Emek Hefer are proud to commemorate the fallen who submitted to the State of Israel and the residents of the valley on a tray the soul steeped in the values of nature and landscape, archeology and battle heritage.
In the battle for the conquest of this hill, sixteen soldiers of the Alexandroni Brigade, each world and its fullness, fell on the altar of communion, each space and the story of its fall, its heroism.
* The commemorative sign is a local initiative of the locals!
We believe that there is a value meaning in mentioning the names of the fallen at the place of their fall and knowing details about their life history.
We would also like to emphasize that the Qaqunarea has been a battlefield for long periods in history and we hope that the place that was once a battle site and its land is saturated with the blood of different peoples will eventually become a place of brotherhood, peace and historical lesson to all peoples.
Please respect the place
"Qaqun Loyalists"
Badihi, Yehoshua (Yicheh)
Son of Miriam and Shalom, was born on July 30, 1921 in Tel Aviv, to a family of veteran Yemeni workers in Israel. At the age of ten his father died. He studied Torah in the "Cheder" of the Eastern community, but aspired to a modern school. From his youth he was active as an instructor in the Histadrut "Working Youth" and showed special organizational ability. As a 16-year-old, he joined the ranks of the guards and was a guard at the Castel quarry. A longtime member of the Haganah and he rose higher and higher in the command stages. He always volunteered for any daring action.
During World War II, he enlisted in the British Army and later served as a sergeant major in the Israel Defense Forces. In the British Army he always knew how to maintain his dignity as a proud Jew, and demanded the insult of our national flag from his offenders and gained recognition for his virtues (his British commander said of him: "This guy is like a fireball in the sea that will never go out!")
Upon his release he studied fishing theory in the Netherlands and on his return to Israel he was one of the founders of the fishing village "Mikhmoret" near Kfar Vitkin. Shortly afterwards, however, he was again called to the Haganah service in Netanya. Here he reorganized the members of the Haganah and established the local Hish.
He was a company commander in the IDF and shortly before his fall was appointed chief training officer in the Alexandroni Brigade. At the head of his company he went to the battles of Mishmar HaEmek and the Upper Galilee. He was "a daring and exciting commander to his men. He had a clean mind and an unexplained explanatory talent" (from the words of Major General Laskov), and all his subordinates were ready to go with him in fire and water. He was called "the father of the company." On the 5.6.1948 he participated in the conquest of the village of Qaqun and commanded the preparations in the conquered village. Fell during a counterattack on the village.
Joshua was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya. After his fall he was awarded the rank of major.
Amitai, Mordechai
Son of Bella and Yitzhak, born in December 1914 in the city of Dombrowice in Poland. In his hometown he attended high school but was a pioneer in his soul, and immigrated to Israel in 1933 on the ship "Vellos". Until 1941 he was a member of Kibbutz Maanit and then worked for about a year at the Dead Sea. In 1942 he moved to Bnei Brak and worked for about two years in a factory, until he was appointed the center of the local labor bureau.As a member of the secretariat of the Workers ’Council, it was very acceptable to the members in the Histadrut and in the branch of the United Workers’ Party. At his initiative, the Construction Workers ’Insurance Fund and the Transportation Workers’ Organization were established in Bnei Brak. He always found a common language with each worker and tried to help others. From the day he came to Israel, he was a member of the Haganah. In the years 1936-1939 he served as a notary in Karkur and at the end of 1947 he organized on behalf of the Haganah the "Civil Guard" in Bnei Brak, his place of residence.
Upon the declaration of the establishment of the state, on May 15, 1948, he enlisted in the battle and served in the "Alexandroni" brigade. On April 4, 1948, he fell during the shelling, when he was driving a vehicle that was carrying weapons to the fighters in the Battle of Qaqun.
On the June 6, 1948, he was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Bzezinski, Zvi-Arieh
Son of Pradil and Yitzhak-Yaakov, born on May 10, 1925, in the city of Lask, Poland, to a Hasidic family. The hardships he has experienced since the outbreak of World War II, as a teenager, have forged his character and energy. In the Lodz ghetto, he was one of the activists in the preparation of the uprising, which did not materialize. In 1944 he was sent to the Braunschweig camp and worked there as a cook under the name "Hans". In the camp he organized a secret Zionist group. After the fall of Germany, he moved to Belgium, participated in the organization of the "Baderech" training group and in organizing convoys for immigration. In 1946 he immigrated to Israel on the ship "Biriah" and was the living spirit in the group. He joined Kibbutz Hefetzi-Ba, but when his sister came to Israel, he left the kibbutz to help her with her arrangements. He worked in Bnei Brak as a carpenter-climber in the building. However, he was one of the "Haganah" members and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.
With the outbreak of the War of Independence, he enlisted among the first in full service in the Haganah, served in the Alexandroni Brigade and was sent to the Galilee. Being a professional cook he could have freed himself from combat operations, but did not want to exercise that right and participated as a machine gunner in many battles. He excelled in battles and good friendships. In his spare time he would cook good food for his friends to ease their situation. From the Galilee, Zvi-Arieh was returned to the Tel Aviv area and participated in the conquest of the Tel-Litvinsky camp, Hiriya, Sakya, the Arab Kfar Saba, Tira and Tantura. On 5.6.1948, in a battle for the village of Qaqun, he fell next to his anti-tank rifle of the "Fiat" model and was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Ben-Naftali (Rosbach), Shlomo
Son of Leah and Naftali, was born on Tuesday, April 1, 1922, in Vienna, the capital of Austria. His parents, traditionalists, first educated him and his twin brother in a socialist kindergarten that advocated an advanced pedagogical method. His stay among Christian boys until they finished elementary school deepened his Jewish cognition. In 1934, when a turning point occurred in the fate of Vienna Jewry, the result of the failure of the workers’ revolution, his Zionist consciousness came to a complete revelation and he joined the "Hebrew Scouts." His socialist views brought him to the Hashomer Hatzair movement. In 1939, he and his brother arrived in Israel with a group of immigrant youth who had been accepted for training at Kibbutz Ein HaHoresh. At the end of the training period he served for four years as a notary as a field guard. During these years of service he had the opportunity to tour the country and get to know it and after a while he was appointed a regional guide for security matters and a guide for children and youth. In his moderation and courage he served as a model for his trainees. In 1942 he was accepted with the youth society as a member of Ein HaHoresh.
At the outbreak of the War of Independence, she was appointed platoon commander in the "Alexandroni" brigade, in the infantry department in the Hefer Valley, and participated in operations in Tira, Tulkarm and the surrounding area of Kfar Yona. Shlomo fell in the battle of Qaqun on June 7, 1948 and was laid to rest in the Ein Hahoresh cemetery.
Rot, Moses
Son of Joshua, born in 1930 in Czechoslovakia. He arrived in Israel in the midst of the War of Independence and served in the Alexandroni Brigade. He set out with his unit to occupy the Arab village of Qaqun and fell on 4.6.1948. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Zweigenblum, Moshe
Son of Mania and Yosef, was born on Thursday, January 27, 1928, in the city of Pinsk, Poland, and immigrated to Israel on August 25, 1933. He studied in Israel at Beith Hinuch and later at the Ahad Ha’am Gymnasium in Petah Tikva. His teachers discovered his talents, so they allowed him to move after seventh grade to the 9th grade and finish high school at the age of 16 and a half. Moshe invested all his energy in studies, had a sharp and quick perception, was interested in both humanities and real studies, who aspired to the pure scientific truth and devoted himself especially to the social sciences. From the 9th grade he gave private lessons. At the age of 13 he joined the Haganah. When he graduated he enlisted in the Haganah. This cost him a lot of effort because they refused to accept him for service because of his young age. He joined Mishmar Na in Kfar Shmaryahu. Was very proud to have worn khaki uniform. "When you remember how your people drank the cup of poison" - he wrote in one of his letters - "You are glad that you are not one of those ’bunch of dodgers’ who deceive themselves in their personal accounts ... When we become a people like all other peoples grounded in the ground, when the flag of the Hebrew state will rise to glory above - you will find satisfaction only in the fact that you helped the Hebrew people reach the Hebrew homeland. " When he finished his year of service, he was accepted to the Tel Aviv School of Law and Economics, because he aspired to become a lawyer. He prepared his lessons late at night and during the day worked as a clerk at the AFC Bank and is considered one of the most talented officials.
During the War of Independence he gave up the release from a recruitment that the bank wanted to obtain for him and also the studies (he had another year until the finals) and enlisted in early May 1948, served in the "Alexandroni" division, and even influenced his girlfriend to do the same. He was initially given an administrative position in the camp’s vehicle department, but he demanded a transfer to a combat company and participated in the Battle of Latrun and the occupation of Arab Kfar Saba. Moshe fell in a counterattack by the Arabs in Qaqun on 5.6.1948, with the machine gun in his hand. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Petah Tikva. In his letter to his parents, who was in his clothes after his death, he wrote: "I write these things that may be the last in my life. These moments do not pass over me in fear. Tears suffocate my throat as I remember how much your pain will be. Do not regret ... dying on the homeland - nothing More beautiful and noble. The Hebrew youth knew how to continue our war for our freedom ... "
Kupermintz, Yitzhak (Itche)
Son of Esther-Leah and Avraham, born on Friday, September 16, 1924, in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. He had a high school education. Yitzhak went through the events of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust in peace. At the end of the war he joined the Poalei Zion movement. He boarded an illegal immigrant ship captured by the British, was sent to Cyprus, where he was a member of Kibbutz Poalei Zion, as well as in Israel, where he arrived in November 1947. Until his enlistment, he worked as a farm laborer and was a defender.
Yitzhak served in the "Alexandroni" brigade and fell in the battle for the conquest of Qaqun by the Iraqi forces, on May 4, 1948. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Rosenbaum, Yosef (Yoshko)
Son of Gisela and Mordechai, born on October 30, 1925, in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to a poor working class family. After graduating from elementary school he learned the craft of bookbinding and worked in binding. As Fascist rule in Hungary intensified he was sent to forced labor in a copper mine in Serbia. After his release, he returned to work in his profession. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Dror-Habonim movement and went out for training. In the "escape route" he reached the beach, boarded the illegal immigrant ship "Hagana" and arrived in Israel in August 1946. Yosef joined his group in Kibbutz Givat Haim and soon became absorbed in agricultural work and society and fell in love with his friends.
"Alexandroni", guarding the Emek-Hefer area company and rarely came for a short visit to his wife and friends on the farm. When he was sent with his unit on July 7, 1948, as reinforcements to the garrison in the village of Qaqun, to withstand an expected counterattack, he also made sure to bring clothes to the other members guarding there, and in the afternoon he was killed in the Qaqun by a direct hit by a shell. He was laid to rest iin the Givat Haim Cemetery.
Arvest, Gershon
Son of Shlomo, was born in 1927 in the city of Rakhov, Czechoslovakia. He acquired a popular education and engaged in the craft of shoemaking. He spent the days of occupation and decrees in his country in peace and when the day of liberation came he aspired to immigrate to Israel. In 1947, at the age of twenty, it was his turn. After immigrating to Israel, he settled in Petah Tikva and practiced his profession.
Gershon enlisted in the War of Independence, served in the "Alexandroni" brigade and participated in battles. On 4.6.1948, he fell in battle in Qaqun. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Rothman, Jacob
Son of Sarah and Aaron, was born on March 25, 1927, in Constanza, Romania. Graduated from elementary school. During the days of the decrees, his national consciousness matured, and in 1946 he immigrated to Israel on the ship "Max Nordau". As soon as he came to Israel, he joined the underground organization, was nicknamed "Phinehas Landau" and was one of the most active in the organization. Yaakov lived in Zichron Yaacov.
Shortly after the UN General Assembly’s decision to divide the country into two states, he enlisted in the army and was assigned to a combat battalion in the Alexandroni Brigade. Yaakov participated in the Mishmar HaEmek battle and fell on June 5, 1948, during the conquest of Qaqun. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Pinchas, Abraham
Son of Sara and Shalom, was born on June 27, 1928, in Bnei Brak, to a family that cares for many children. As a child, he studied at the Talmud-Torah in Bnei Brak. Because of the family’s dire financial situation, he began working at a young age in the "Dubek" cigarette factory, his father’s place of work, where he was known as a quiet, modest and honest boy. His strong desire to continue his studies fulfilled in the evenings. He never complained about his condition and knew he had to help his parents. Avraham loved cinema and often watched movies. As a member of the Haganah, he took part in many operations during the struggle against the British and responded to every call with great recognition and responsibility.
Avraham was one of the first to enlist in the army at the outbreak of the War of Independence and served in the Alexandroni Brigade, although his health was poor. After his enlistment, his vision was impaired and the doctor decided to release him from the army, but Avraham withdrew his doctor’s instructions from his superiors, went into battle and fell in battle for Qaqun on 5.6.1948. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Gruber, Chaim-Avraham (Chaimi, Albert)
Son of Yehudit and Shalom, was born in the month of Cheshvan in October 1924 in the large village of Masif (a settlement of about 120 Jewish families) in the Romanian part of the Marmarosh district. His mother died at a young age and he was educated at his aunt’s house. He attended elementary school and "Cheders", was educated as a child on Torah and reverence for God, but as a teenager he violated family tradition and without his father’s consent and while giving up his support he went to study knitting at a vocational school of the JDC in Sighet, the capital of The district. There he finished three years of schooling and began working for meager wages, and more than once also worked overtime so that he could set aside from his wages also to provide charity to the many poor. When World War II broke out, the area was returned to Hungarian rule, which bothered Jews even more than Romanian rule. At the time of the deportation of Hungarian Jews without citizenship to Galicia and Ukraine, Chaim-Avraham would take his comrades with him to the train station to provide the deportees with drinking water and fruit and to encourage them. He moved to the city of Munkács and organized a knitting cooperative, where he was the professional manager. In his spare time he would go to the Beit Midrash and study Torah and on Shabbat he would go to the tables of Admors or to meetings of Zionist youth. Despite his Zionism and lifestyle in the spirit of the times he continued to follow the path of Hasidism and before entering into business he would present "notes" and "redemptions" to the Rebbe, as was the custom of his ancestors. Haim-Avraham brought his younger brother to Munkatch and put him to work. Before the German takeover of Hungary he managed to get to Budapest on the last train where Jews were allowed to travel and got a job in a large Christian-owned workshop, excelled in fitness and knowledge and the factory owner obtained Aryan Christian certificates and released him from conscription as a vital worker. Near the end of the war, he was drafted for military service in the home front. After the defeat of the Germans he visited his home village and found that of all his family only one brother survived, who returned home and a sister in Sweden. With his brother he went to Germany and erected a tombstone on the grave of his sister who died near liberation. He joined the kibbutz of Hapoel Mizrahi in Feldafing and served as its foreign secretary, where he also often helped refugees. In 1947 he received a license to immigrate, immigrated to Israel and began working in his profession in Tel Aviv. He devoted his evenings and Saturdays to training at Haganah. After a while, his brother also came through Cyprus and his sister from Sweden. According to unclear information, he was sent by the Haganah to a position in Netanya, where he worked in polishing diamonds. In meetings with the people of his birthplace, he encouraged them to erect a souvenir for the Jews of Marmarosh, and especially for Rabbi Moishao.
At the beginning of the War of Independence, he enlisted in full service in the "Alexandroni" brigade. Participated in many battles and most recently in the battle for the conquest of Qaqun, on 5.6.1948, In the middle of the attack, he was hit by a bullet in the chest and when they came to evacuate him after two hours, he managed to say: "It’s too late - don’t reveal it to my family." Haim-Avraham died at Beilinson Hospital and was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Petah Tikva.
Dvash, Rahamim
Son of Ruth and Shalom, born in 1925 in Benghazi, Kyrenia. He graduated from high school and served as a Hebrew teacher in his hometown. In 1944 he immigrated to Israel with his parents and lived in the "Benghazi neighborhood" in Bnei Brak. In Israel, he earned his living as a laborer, first working in a weaving factory in Ramat Gan, and later in another factory. Had a national consciousness.
At the beginning of 1948 he was called up for service in the "Alexandroni" brigade. And accurately fulfilled all that was imposed on him. On June 4, 1948, when he returned from a short vacation, he went with his friends to attack the Arab village of Qaqun in Sharon, and during his conquest he fell. Rahamim was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Donnenfeld, Baruch
Son of Liba and Moshe, born on January 18, 1924, in the city of Sirat, Romania. Educated in an elementary school. During World War II, the days of slavery and the Holocaust, he was exiled to Transnistria and from there to Ukraine and worked hard in concentration camps until his liberation by the Red Army. Baruch enlisted in the army of victors and participated in the victory campaign until the eradication of the enemy, and immediately sought ways to fulfill his youthful aspiration - as an organized member of a Zionist youth movement - to immigrate to Israel. On the way he wandered to Italy, and from there he immigrated to Israel, with the help of the soldiers of the Jewish Brigade, at the end of 1945. He was among the detainees in Atlit who were released by the Haganah in its well-known operation. He joined the "In Struggle" group in Herzliya - and later moved on to work on his own. After studying with a photographer in Ramat Gan, he opened his own business in Raanana. Baruch was a member of the Haganah from the day of his aliyah, enlisted fully in March 1948 and joined the Alexandroni Brigade. He trained in Netanya and participated in the conquest of the Tel Litvinsky camp and the village of Selma.
Baruch fell in the Battle of Qaqun, on June 5, 1948. He served as a machine gunner in a class surrounded by the enemy, was severely wounded and two hours later died of his wounds. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Netanya.
Feinbook, Jacob
Son of Sara and Shmuel-Moshe, born on July 8, 1921, in the city of Essen in western Germany to parents who immigrated from Poland after World War I. He attended an elementary school and in 1933 fled with his parents and three brothers to Paris. He joined the Zionist Youth Movement and immigrated to Israel in 1936 as part of the youth aliyah, and is the only one who survived the entire family. He was educated in Nahalal for two years and moved with his group to settle in Nahalat Yehuda near Rishon Lezion.
When World War II broke out, he volunteered for the British Army and later joined the Jewish Brigade. Jacob participated in battles in North Africa and Italy and reached as far as Germany. He searched all the remnant camps, but found no trace of his destroyed family.
When he was discharged from the army, he retired from the kibbutz and managed in Tel Aviv as a baking worker (he acquired this profession on the kibbutz) and became known as an excellent football player.
At the beginning of the War of Independence, he enlisted and joined one of the battalions of the "Alexandroni" brigade, and as an excellent sniper, he was assigned to instruct boys and girls in sniping. Meanwhile, a rumor reached that his sister had survived and was in a camp in Cyprus, but was not disappointed by the false hopes of seeing her (since this rumor had no basis) - he fell in the Battle of Qaqunon June 6, 1948. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Nahalat Yitzhak.
Marcus, David
Son of Fredel and Shmuel, born on15.10.1930 in the city of Tyrrhenia, Czechoslovakia. With the dismantling of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, this region was transferred to Hungary, and David graduated from a Hungarian primary school. He was a member of a Zionist youth movement. In 1944, before the Holocaust hit her, the family managed to immigrate to Israel. David studied for two years in the Ben Shemen youth village and became a good farmer. Because he chose to live in a workers’ moshav, he moved to the village of Hogla and under his influence the whole family joined him - the father and mother and his younger brother. They settled in the village and established a farm. David enlisted in the IDF before he turned 18 and joined the Alexandroni Brigade.
In the run-up to the first truce, "Alexandroni" forces attacked Iraqi forces in the village of Qaqunon. In this battle David fell on 7.6.1948. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in his village, Kfar Hogla.
[Board II]
Symbol of the Nature and Parks Authority
Symbol of the Alexandroni Brigade
Qaqun loyalist symbol
Emblem Emek Hefer Local Council
Symbol of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
The story of the battle of the conquest of the Qaqunon in the War of Independence by the Alexandroni fighters During the War of Independence, the Arab Legion controlled the slopes of Samaria, and Tel Qaqunon was one point in a chain of positions west of this axis and served as a "springboard" toward the Sharon.
The Arab village of Qaqunon was built on a prominent dome in the plain (53 m above sea level and 30 m above its surroundings). Its location gave it good control over its entire environment. The main sufferer was Kibbutz HaMa’apil, which has been dangerous since the Arab attack on it in March 1948. The decision to occupy Qaqunon was made in order to prepare against the aspiration of the dissolution of the state by the regular Arab armies and to remove the threat over Kibbutz HaMa’apil and the eastern settlements of Emek Hefer.
After several attacks and counter-attacks, the decisive Israeli operation took place on the night of June 4-5, 1948, by the 33rd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade (named after the nearby stream), which was reinforced by a company from the 32nd Battalion and artillery assistance. The enemy force is estimated at 200 local fighters, plus an armored force and Iraqi fighters.
Two companies were destined to occupy the village by forceps. Another person laid mines on the roads to prevent the arrival of reinforcements. After a lengthy campaign of darkness, the forces stormed the enemy positions. The enemy resisted stubbornly and there were face-to-face battles. The fighting continued at all hours of the day and the fighters displayed heroism and sacrifice under intense Iraqi fire, which included artillery barrage, armor and aircraft bombing. By evening the battles subsided and the defeated enemy vanished to the east. It was the biggest defeat of the Iraqi army in the War of Independence. The results of the battle achieved the goals and removed the threat over Kibbutz HaMa’apil and the danger of disintegration of the state. 16 of the fighters of the Alexandroni Brigade fell in battle.
[Image: Alexandroni warriors in the canals]
[Image: Battle of Qaqunon on aerial photo]
[Photo: "Al Hamishmar" newspaper dated June 7, 1948]
[Board III]
The heroism and faith of one of the martyrs in the battle, Moshe Zweigenblum - "The Trumpeldor of Qaqunon", as expressed in his letters also reflected the spirit of his comrades and became a symbol of heroism and sacrifice made out of faith and conscious intention to be imitated by future generations. And here you have the privilege of reading these lines where Moses and his friends fell.
"I am writing these things to you in moments that may be the last in my life, one thing I can assure you, these moments do not pass over me in any fear, and only tears suffocate my throat a little, when I remember how great your pain will be. But do not be sorry should know not only how to live but also how to die. To die on the altar of the homeland - you have nothing more beautiful and noble. The Hebrew youth are youth who knew how to continue our war for our freedom. Forgive me for the very bad writing because this letter was written on a rock, desolate in the mountains of Jerusalem, do not be sorry, and you will get to see the blossoming of our liberated homeland. "
Your loved ones and lovers Moshe
5/5/48
[Board IV]
Restoration of Qaqunon Fortress National Park "...When we are with all the peoples buried in the ground, when the flag of the Hebrew state rises to glory above you will find satisfaction only in the fact that you helped the Hebrew people reach the Hebrew homeland"
Moshe Zweigenblum wrote shortly before his fall.
According to Moshe, he and his friends helped the Hebrew people reach the homeland.
Many bodies have come together to help and will help rehabilitate the site and perpetuate the heritage created on it.
The restoration of Qaqunon Fortress National Park is an example of large-scale cooperation between many authorities and volunteer residents.
Ministry of Environmental Protection / Israel Electric Company / Emek Hefer Regional Council / Emek Hefer Economic Society / Nature and Parks Authority / Israel Antiquities Authority / Alexandroni Fighters Association / Bnei Moshavim Youth Movement / KakunTrustees Volunteers
Phase B of the garden restoration was funded by the Ministry of Environmental Protection - the Cleaning Fund
Phase A is funded by the IEC
For suggestions, ideas, comments you can contact tel_kakun@walla.com
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