Yizhar Armoni

Son of Yehudit and Gedalyahu, he was born on the 26th of Tammuz 5689 (3.8.1929) in Jerusalem.

He studied at the Hebrew Gymnasium in Rehavia and was a good and orderly student. At the age of 7-8 he began to compose poems, wrote musical notation for melodies he heard, and for his bar mitzvah he wrote down the melody of the Haftarah in notes and played it on the flute. He was inclined toward handicrafts and built microscopes, a steam turbine, airplanes and so on. From eyeglass lenses he assembled a telescope.

He devoted himself to the Scout movement, served as an instructor in it and was greatly loved by his trainees. When he needed an exhibit for a Scouts' exhibition, he went to Zedekiah's Cave and carved various vessels from the stones of the place (an ashtray of his own making he presented to the "HeHalutz" group, with which his father had immigrated to the Land, on the 25th anniversary of their immigration). When he needed money for a project in the movement, his father promised him a shilling for every chapter of the Bible he learned by heart, and he learned sixteen chapters in a single week. He devoted most of his time to studies, preparing plays, writing sketches for parties and so on.

At the age of 15 he became active in the "Haganah". He was tall (1.85 m) and looked older than his years. In the days of the Mandate regime's occupation he was stopped by an Englishman who asked what he asked, and received a slap in the face from him. In willingness for sacrifice he saw the true expression of a people living in its land. "We shall not have a state if the people do not know how to sacrifice the pick of its sons," he wrote in his essay.

At the beginning of the year 5708, after completing the science track at the Gymnasium, he went out to hachshara training in the Palmach. His parents urged him to enlist in the Notrut and to read and study in his hours of rest (he was preparing to enter the Technion), but he answered: "That is shirking. And anyway I don't like uniforms," and went out to Dafna. He worked in the kibbutz fishpond, in paving a road to Lehavot HaBashan and in laying irrigation pipes.

When the War of Independence broke out he paid no attention to the disruptions on the roads, received leave and traveled to see his parents, but the road to Jerusalem was already blocked, and he returned to Tel Hai. Yizhar served in the Yiftach Brigade and was considered the best mortarman in the Galilee at aiming and firing. On the 11th of Nisan 5708 (20.4.1948) he took part in the second attack on Nabi Yusha. Of the three machine gunners who were assigned to cover the unit's attack, two fell, and Yizhar remained alone. Despite the order to retreat, he continued to cover the retreat of his comrades, and thereby the unit succeeded in gathering most of the wounded. Even after that he did not retreat, and continued to defend the remaining wounded with his weapon until he was wounded and fell.

After a month, with the capture of the fortress, he was brought to eternal rest with the rest of his comrades in a mass grave in the cemetery at Nabi Yusha. For his deed he was awarded the Medal of Valor (on the 20th of Tammuz 5709) by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and President Dr. Chaim Weizmann.

And this is the text of the certificate: "Of the three machine gunners who were assigned to cover the attacks of the unit, two fell, and No. 9562 Private Armoni Yizhar remained alone. With courage and without respite he continued to cover his comrades. Thereby the unit succeeded in collecting from the battlefield most of its wounded. Even after that he did not retreat, but continued to defend the remainder of the wounded with his weapon, preventing the enemy from approaching them, until he was hit and fell in the field of battle. For this deed he has been awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest decoration of excellence of the Israel Defense Forces."

By decision of the Jerusalem municipal council of the 26th of Tammuz 5712, the street near Yizhar's birthplace was named "Mevo Yizhar".