JNF.org ’S PATHWAY TO INDEPENDENCE 21 , which aired on I Will Not Forget This, My Friend Not Forget I Will SPIHS, led by the late Yehuda Dekel, founded the Yehuda SPIHS, led by the late Though this is but one story of bravery and comradeship It could be anywhere. During story. a soldier’s “It’s and translated an English version that he shares with audiences at his speaking engagements. HaReut Museum next to Nebbi Yusha; the share the story of this important battle with the public. goal was to celebrated In January 2014, together SPIHS, with JNF, the grand opening of the museum, which provides an interactive learning experience through dynamic 3D figures, life-size models, personal effects of the fighters, and more. Six hundred people, among them many of including Yusha heroes who fought in Nebbi the Palmach participated in the moving ceremony. Amnon Ben-Yehuda, Since the have opening, thousands visitors tens of of The come to visit the mountain and the new museum. memorial site has come to symbolize the ‘48: spirit of the pioneering spirit, and camaraderie, loyalty, tenacity, the readiness to sacrifice. it is a universal tale. in battle, for Ben-Yehuda, there were many acts of heroism by many the war, young soldiers. We have to talk about it; we can’t keep everything buried inside. Going through war is a unique and painful experience, and adjusting back to civilian life a human issue.” It’s is not simple or easy. wrote. Ben-Yehuda talks about his experiences in Shoval’s talks about his experiences in Shoval’s wrote. Ben-Yehuda film, Israeli television in 1990. The name of the film is taken produced Alterman poem. Ben-Yehuda a from Natan

This struck a chord with the late Menachem Shoval, Ben-Yehuda survived, and spent a year at home Ben-Yehuda has attended an annual Since 1960, Ben-Yehuda “For 40 years we never talked about it,” he said. “This When I delivered my it eulogy, was important for me to clear my were soul. all We suffering from PTSD, and that was my coming out. It helped so many of my friends.” unit and one of the z”l, a member of the same Palmach down the mountain. who carried Ben-Yehuda soldiers a letter following the memorial Shoval sent Ben-Yehuda ceremony and admitted that he wished to produce a film about their experience in this heroic battle, but found it hard to breach the subject matter because of the guilt relieved my guilt to do the film,” Shoval he carried. “You there he was taken to Beilinson Hospital and operated on Jewish a renowned Romanian Ashkenazy, Harden by Dr. neurosurgeon and Holocaust who had survivor just arrived whom on soldier Israeli first the was Ben-Yehuda Israel. in The doctor gave him 0.5% chance Ashkenazy operated. Dr. of survival. rehabilitating himself with his own design. a program of He came to the United States to attend UC Berkeley, where he met his wife, and has lived in California ever since, his family having grown to include grandchildren. The 40th the for fallen soldiers. Yusha memorial in Nebbi anniversary in 1988 marked a turning point. He decided to deliver a his eulogy for fallen friends and expressed his feelings of guilt for surviving when they did not. is true all for of us. It was a subject that was kept inside.

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Ben-Yehuda was taken to Ramot Naftali where, he would Ben-Yehuda “This is where history was made,” said Ben-Yehuda. “This is where history was made,” said Ben-Yehuda. Twelve of the soldiers who died at Nebbi Yusha were Yusha of the who soldiers died at Nebbi Twelve What happened at Nebbi Yusha, also known as to prevent dehydration. When a group of his unit climbed unit his of group a When dehydration. prevent to up the mountain with supplies to evacuate seven infants, him tied They alive. Ben-Yehuda find to amazed were they to a stretcher and carried him down the mountain, from learn 40 years later, two young women acting as medics— learn 40 years later, with limited training—kept him alive by using damp rags by a childhood friend, Aharon “Aharonchick” Kuperman. “My squad was retreating and Aharonchick saw me lying wounded. He saw to it that I was evacuated, this all took place while we were under fire.” “We lost “We quite a few guys because they stayed behind to This is what try and rescue friends who were wounded. himself was saved you call brotherhood.”Ben-Yehuda training. By the time the Nebbi Yusha night operation Yusha training. By the time the Nebbi fighters, seasoned were kibbutzniks the of many occurred, incidents. having been involved in numerous military childhood friends and lived together in Kibbutz Daphna in the Upper , serving their two years Palmach of sacrifice ismemorialized at the nearby HaReut Museum, which stands as a symbol of their comradeship ( relates, “All of us [who survived] have lived Ben-Yehuda under the that dark cloud of experience entire our lives.” independence. An attempt to capture the which fortress, independence. the British had transferred to the Arabs five daysTheir prior, heroes. it ended with the deaths 28 Palmach of hospital outside of Tel Aviv. His story symbolizes the His story symbolizes true Aviv. Tel hospital outside of friendship that took place there. Metzudat Koach fellow soldiers to Ramot Naftali soldiers (a mountaintop fellow settlement about a mile away), where he remained two days for before being carried down the mountain, ultimately to a the on April 20, 1948, the Palmach soldier April 20, 1948, the Palmach the Upper Galilee on and squad leader was shot in the head and rescued by his A Tale of Comradeship A Tale A