Bravely Defending Israel: The Fallen Soldiers of 1949

Isser Adler and Moshe Feig were Satmar Hasidic cousins who immigrated to Israel in 1948. As they disembarked the ship, they were asked if they wanted to help Jewish soldiers defend the land of Israel, and they eagerly agreed. They were joined by Shalom Tepper, a partisan and Auschwitz survivor; Aharon Hershkowitz; and Yaakov Yeshaya Karol, a survivor from Majdanek. What they all had in common was their religious faith. They were assigned to the religious platoon during the War of Independence. Some of them didn’t tell the truth about their age: even though they were 16, they claimed to be 18 to enlist in the army and protect the land of Israel.

Initially called "the religious platoon," one Friday, when all the soldiers at the base returned hungry and exhausted, the religious platoon gathered to welcome Shabbat with singing and joy. The base commander, passing by, commented emotionally, "This is Hashem’s platoon." From then on, they were called "Hashem’s platoon," although the name did not last long...

The religious platoon's soldiers ensured there was a kosher kitchen, prayer quorums, Mishnah classes, and maintained a religious atmosphere. When kosher food wasn’t available amidst the events of the War of Independence, they survived for a whole week on matzah and salted fish, all in good spirits and with a sense of devotion.

Shimon Kutner, one of the few survivors from the religious platoon, describes how on Yom Kippur of 1949, the first Yom Kippur after the establishment of the state, the soldiers were called to action. They replied that they were willing to risk their lives for the people of Israel, but first needed permission from a rabbi. The commander called the chief rabbi for approval. Once granted, the soldiers went into battle and returned safely. Kutner still remembers the melodies of Shabbat songs that filled the base, while kibbutzniks and Haganah members, unfamiliar with religious life, watched in amazement.

The religious platoon operated in what was then called "the Triangle," between Kfar Saba and the area. They excelled in their missions. In November 1948, Cheshvan 5709, the religious platoon was called to the south. A difficult situation developed in the lowlands: in the town of al-Faluja, thousands of Egyptian fighters, led by the famous General Sydney Said Taha, known as "the Sudanese Tiger," fortified themselves. Their fortified positions repeatedly defeated IDF fighters. Although Israel was established in Iyar, by the following Cheshvan there was still an enemy enclave with thousands of soldiers within the state, causing great concern for the state and army leaders.

The Alexandroni Brigade developed a battle plan: Battalion 33 would capture the village of Al-Manshiya (today Kiryat Gat) surrounding the pocket, while Company C - the religious platoon - would capture the hill overlooking the village. A sub-plan was for Company 35 to capture the bridge near the village to prevent Egyptian reinforcements. This operation was called "Operation Elimination."

Training for the operation lasted a month, and on the second night of Chanukah, the forces set out. The beginning was promising: Company 33 captured the village, and at 3:00 AM the religious platoon entered the area. By 4:30 AM, they attempted to capture the hill, but the battle was bloody, and many soldiers fell. The weather was stormy and rainy, turning the loess soil muddy, necessitating a wait. However, due to communication network issues, Company 35 was not informed of the delay and launched an assault on the bridge position. The soldiers failed to capture the position, suffered casualties, and withdrew.

They retreated to a courtyard at the base of the hill, continuing the fight from there. Meanwhile, an Egyptian armored convoy outflanked the forces from behind. The Israelis, believing it was an IDF convoy, allowed them to advance, only realizing too late that they faced enemy soldiers.

The Egyptian forces surrounded the courtyard and began attacking the platoons. The first two platoons managed to escape, but the religious platoon was trapped. The platoon commander, Ben Zion Hellman, who received orders to retreat, replied that he would not withdraw until the last wounded soldier was evacuated. The religious platoon fought until it fell, except for the platoon leader, Moshe Manheim, who managed to break through the encircling forces with a few soldiers, rescuing them alive, while two others were taken captive. Overall, 67 soldiers fell in battle, alongside 22 soldiers from another Alexandroni Brigade platoon.

The religious platoon was almost entirely wiped out. Eighty-nine fallen soldiers remained in the field without the possibility of evacuation. The chief military rabbi requested permission from the Egyptian brigade’s intelligence officer, who later became President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, to enter and identify the fallen. Nasser approved, explaining that he was curious to understand what the black boxes accompanying all Jewish soldiers were. The rabbi explained they were Jewish tefillin, laid by Jews for over three thousand years. Nasser responded that it explained the courage and bravery with which they fought despite being surrounded and having no chance.

The rabbi saw that identification of the fallen was sadly not possible, so most were transferred to a mass grave at the "Nachalat Yitzhak" cemetery in Givatayim. Visiting this grave is particularly shocking and sad, as many of the names of the fallen state, "Ascended to the Land in 5708, Passed Away in 5709." These were people who came from the diaspora to Israel and did only one thing: gave their lives for the people of Israel.