16/06/2026
The night was clear, too clear.
The fighters waited for the order, hidden in ambush positions. Their hearts raced, anticipation hanging heavily in the air.
They were discovered before they could blow up the bridge. There was no choice but to charge forward with full force.
Today marks 80 years since the Night of the Bridges operation, carried out by the Palmach. Its objective was to destroy 11 bridges along the borders of the Land of Israel, isolating the country and disrupting the British transportation routes.
Nine bridges were successfully destroyed as planned, another was severely damaged, and one bridge, the Az-Ziv Bridge near Nahal Akziv, remained standing after the fighters’ position was exposed before they could carry out the mission.
The fighters charged ahead. During the assault, Yehiam was shot in the chest and fell. Attempts to save him failed, and he was killed on that clear night.
Yehiam Weitz was a courageous fighter, yet he also possessed a remarkable sensitivity and a deep appreciation for the world around him. In his writings, he wrote:
“The eyes are always filled with open landscapes and hills. And the blue of the distance, and stones, and the steps beside you. And Arab orchards, and solitary dark green carob trees, whose shade is black and inviting.”
Yehiam was laid to rest on the Mount of Olives.
You are invited to light a virtual memorial candle in his memory and in memory of the fighters who fell alongside him.
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