L-R: Harvey Cohen, Elimelech, Ira Feinberg, and Ed Lugech
at Eden Camp in Rosh Pina
The son of Pessy and David, Avraham Abba (Harvey) Cohen was born in 1929 in Canada. In the stormy days of the War of Independence he decided to make aliyah to the Land of Israel, together with his cousin Edward (Avraham) Lugech, to come and help the young state and to volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces.
Traveling on board the ship “Transylvania,” the two youths reached the shores of Israel on the last day of Passover 1948 (30th April), and disembarked at Haifa on 1st May 1948, and within two days they were recruited into the Palmach Yiftach Brigade.
DISCOVERY OF THE TWO MISSING MACHALNIKS
IDENTIFICATION OF SIX BODIES AT KIBBUTZ MAOZ CHAIM
Earlier this year (2009), the section of the Ministry of Defense responsible for identifying missing persons arranged exhumation and identification of remains found buried at Kibbutz Maoz Chaim. They were identified as Benyamin Ben-Tziyon, Avraham Geller, Ya’akov Leizer, Edward Lugech, Harvey Cohen, and Eliyahu Stromtze.
Lugech and Cohen had been missing for 61 years.
Researcher’s note:
According to an eye witness, the commander of their squad, Lugech and Cohen had manned a British Bren light machine gun, and had fought bravely until the end.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Palmach Yiftach Brigade was involved in heavy battles in the Upper Galilee Panhandle. On 15th May, 1948, units of the Brigade had occupied the village of Malkiya.
On 6th June, a co-ordinated, three-pronged Arab attack was mounted against the Galilee. The Syrians moved against Mishmar Hayarden with the purpose of cutting off the main north-south road in the centre of the Galilee. The Lebanese attacked Malkiya, to control the heights overlooking the main north-south artery from the west. The Arab Liberation Army directed its attacks against Sejera (Ilaniya) to the south.
The Lebanese Army took the defenders of Malkiya by surprise, capturing the lightly-held village in the initial assault. The attacking force consisted of almost two brigades of Lebanese and Arab Liberation Army units. The Yiftach defendants were forced to withdraw, leaving some of their dead behind.
On 31st October 1948, in the last days of Operation “Hiram”, the 7th Brigade recaptured Malkiya.
Since the majority of those killed in the battle on 6th June were members of Kibbutz Maoz Chaim, the kibbutz recovered the bodies and buried them in a mass grave in the kibbutz cemetery.
Translated from the Yizkor website by Joe Woof, with subsequent clarification following the discovery of the bodies in 2009.