at Eden Camp in Rosh Pina
The son of Shifra, Avraham Lugech was born on June 17th 1930 in Canada.
At the outset of the War of Independence he decided to make aliyah to the Land of Israel, together with his cousin, Avraham Abba Cohen. The two youths reached Israel during the week of Passover 1948, and within two days they were recruited into the Palmach.
On June 10th 1948 they set out from their camp in the area of Rosh Pina to bring laundry, and from that moment they disappeared without a trace. All searches for them were fruitless and their fate remains unknown.
IDENTIFICATION OF SIX BODIES AT KIBBUTZ MAOZ CHAIM
During Israel’s War of Independence, units of Palmach Yiftach Brigade had occupied the village of Malkiya on 15th May, 1948.
On 6th June, a coordinated, three-pronged Arab attack was mounted against the Galilee. The Syrians moved against Mishmar Hayarden with the purpose of cutting 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 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, on 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.
Earlier this year (2009), the Section of the Ministry of Defense responsible for Identifying Missing Persons arranged exhumation and identification of these bodies. They were identified as Benyamin Ben-Tziyon, Avraham Geller, Ya’akov Leizer, Edward Lugetch, Harvey Cohen, and Eliyahu Stromtze.
Edward Lugech and Harvey Cohen were cousins who volunteered from Canada and disappeared without a trace during the June battles.
Researcher’s note:
According to an eye witness, the commander of the squad, Lugech and Cohen had manned a British Bren light machine gun, and had fought bravely until the end.