| English |
|
Youth Movements at Tel Hai
Memorial Ceremony for Joseph Trumpeldor and the heroes of Tel Hai |
|
|
|
|
As part of the events marking 60th years of Israel's independence, a State memorial ceremony will be held for Joseph Trumpeldor and his comrades with the participation of representatives of the youth movements. The memorial service will be held at Tel Hai on 11 Adar 5768 (March 18, 2008). This year, to mark 60 years of sovereignty, the traditional ceremony will be expanded to include the representatives of all the youth movements. In addition, special activities will also be held at Tel Hai to remember the heroes killed in its defense. The ceremony and activities aim to bring the history of the Jewish People and its heroes closer to the youth and to instill in them a love of the land. Over the past two years, renovation and reconstruction work has been done at Tel Hai to provide as authentic an experience as possible of the battles waged there on 11 Adar, 5680, the date of the death of Joseph Trumpeldor and his comrades. The restored grounds will be opened to the public at the annual State ceremony, and will depict and simulate the events of that historic day, through the reconstructed ruins of the original structures (the cowshed, stable, battle positions, the room of the wounded, etc.) and multimedia presentations.
 The Vice President of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites in the north, Omri Salmon: "The story of the battle for Tel Hai reflects the struggle for the country's borders and on settling of the land. The idea behind the reconstruction of the Tel Hai grounds is to try to bring the events of that historic day to life and to stress the importance of the location. By demonstrating the bravery of Joseph Trumpeldor and his comrades, we hope to bequeath his legacy to the coming generations."
Born in Russia in 1880, Joseph Trumpeldor served as an officer in the Russian Army, and immigrated to Israel in 1912. Along with a group of students, he tried to set up the first nucleus of a collective farming community in the Tel Hai grounds. From 1919, several settlements in the Galilee, including Tel Hai, suffered attacks by bands of Bedouin. At Ben Gurion's request, Trumpeldor too charge of organizing the defense of the settlements.
On 11 Adar, 5680 (March 1, 1920), the Arabs entered the Tel Hai grounds seeking to confiscate the settlement's weapons. Trumpeldor commanded his people to open fire on the attackers. During the intense exchange of fire, he was seriously wounded in the stomach and evacuated to Kfar Giladi, but died along the way. Both sides sustained heavy casualties, and at a certain point, a decision was made to abandon Tel Hai and to withdraw. Trumpeldor's last words before his death according to the testimony of Dr. Gerry were: "Never mind, it is good to die for Eretz Yisrael". This statement became a symbol, and the author Haim Brenner formulated the well known saying "It is good to die for our country". Trumpeldor's death in the defense of Tel Hai became a symbol of Jewish self-defense. Joseph Trumpeldor is buried in the cemetery next to the graves of the Hashomer (the Watchman defense organization) at Kfar Gilad near Tel Hai, in a mass grave together with seven men and women fighters killed at Tel Hai. The monument next to their grave is called the "Roaring Lion" because of its profile. Each year, on 11 Hadar, school students and members of the youth movements visit the grave in order to mark the battle and what it signifies.
Photograph 1: The Jerusalem Parade, members of the Bnei Akiva movement marching in
Yafo Street | La'am
Photograph 2: A guard standing next to the lion in Tel Hai, the Upper Galilee | La'am. |
|
| « back |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|