Mordechai Anilevich Monument and the Water Tower
The kibbutz was established here in 1943 during World War II, a few months after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The kibbutz was named to perpetuate the memory of the commander of the rebellion – Mordechai Anilevich. For the first 5 years, the kibbutz experienced a period of construction and expansion, and life was conducted in a relaxed manner while maintaining good neighborly relations with the surrounding Arabs. During this period, the water tower was also built, which rose to a height of 18 meters and could be seen from afar. The water for the tower came from a well located near the southern slope of the hill.
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel. The next day, the Egyptian army invaded Israel, and its main force moved North along the coastal road on its way to Tel Aviv. A major target of the Egyptian attack was the Water Tower, which despite all the shelling remained standing on its shattered legs. After each shelling, when the ammunition ran out and the number of casualties increased, the soldiers in the positions would raise their eyes to the tower to see if it was still standing. As long as the tower stood, their spirit did not break. After six days of fighting, Kibbutz Yad Mordechai fell into the hands of the Egyptians. Three days after the occupation, King Farouk of Egypt arrived here and a photo of him was taken near the tower with the Egyptian flag hoisted above it.
The bombed water tower, which survived the war, collapsed in the first rain of 1949, and was left in this place as a reminder of the heroic battle of the kibbutz defenders. Over the years, the tower took on “human dimensions” and poems, stories and legends were written about it.
Next to the tower stands the statue that symbolizes both Mordechai Anilevich and those who fell in the battles at Yad Mordechai. The statue was erected by the artist – Nathan Rapaport. It was inaugurated on the Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust and Heroism in May 1951 in the presence of ten thousand people who came from all over the country.
The statue, holding a grenade in his hand, expresses courage, determination and strength. His gaze is directed to the hill on which the fallen are buried. The location of the statue near the bombed water tower is meant to mark the connection between the Warsaw Ghetto rebels and the fighters at Yad Mordechai. Many of the fighters against the Germans in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising were members of the “Hashomer HaTsair” movement. The founders of the kibbutz also came from this youth movement.
In May 1949, when it was decided to erect a future monument, a founding scroll was written by one of the members of the kibbutz. Among other things, the following was written in the scroll: “…your noble personality, Mordechai, is what gave us strength and courage to stand isolated – a handful of defenders without effective weapons, against thousands of Egyptian soldiers equipped with the best modern weapons… Please let this monument be a faithful witness to the people of Israel, let it not forget its sons and daughters – its builders, who followed the plow and watered the earth with the sweat of their brows in times of peace and showed supreme bravery in times of war… eternal glory to the heroes of Israel who shed their blood in the streets of the Ghetto and on the battle fields at Yad Mordechai.”
Beginning in 1949 and up to the present, commemorative ceremonies for the Holocaust and Heroism are held every year on this hill, in the presence of many people from all over the country.
