Moshe Yaakov Eliash

Moshe Yaakov Eliash was the firstborn of Alexander and Fanny (nee Kleiderman) Eliash. His siblings were Dina and Arieh. He was born on December 7, 1923 in Berlin, where his parents arrived on their journey from Russia to Palestine (Eretz Yisrael). He was the scion of a distinguished family. He was named after his great-grandfather, a rabbi who had been murdered in a pogrom in Russia. Moshe’s parents took him to Palestine (Eretz Yisrael) when he was less than a year old. He grew up in Jerusalem, where for twelve years he attended the new Maaleh School established by his parents. Then he studied at the Hebrew University, where he majored in philosophy and Hebrew. He received a Master’s degree and also a diploma from the School of Law, which he had attended simultaneously. He had a deep appreciation of the Bible, he was interested in history and in literature, and he was fluent in English as well as in literary and spoken Arabic. Moshe was an amateur photographer. He explored every corner of the country and took many pictures, some of them displayed in the present album. He spent his summer vacations working in kibutzim and elsewhere. Moshe became at attorney at law but did not get a chance to practice. He got married but did not get a chance to live with his wife, Ofra Dushman. The couple interrupted their honeymoon in order to return to Jerusalem to participate in the defense of the city. Moshe took part in the battles at Ramat Rachel and elsewhere in the city. On August 13, 1948, he came home to spend a few hours with his wife and his parents and then returned to his post on Mt. Zion. The post was attacked that night and he was killed. He was 24 years old. Moshe was buried in Sheikh Badr, and on August 24, 1950 he was reinterred in the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. Read more