The remains of Haviva Reik and Rafael Reiss, Israeli parachutists executed by the Nazis during the war, were laid to rest today in the national military cemetery adjoining Mt. Herzl.
A unit of paratroopers escorted the coffins of the two heroes who parachuted behind the Nazi lines on a mission for the Allies and were captured. The paratroopers guarded the coffins from the time they were brought to Tel Aviv from Czechoslovakia yesterday until they were lowered into their new graves.
Members of the Cabinet, representatives of the Jewish Agency, high ranking officers of the armed services and veterans marched in the military funeral. Thousands of spectators lined the procession’s path through the city. The coffins lay in state in the Jewish Agency courtyard where Minister of Trade Dov Joseph paid tribute to the heroes.
Yesterday the coffins were carried through Tel Aviv where another ceremony was held. Before being brought here they were taken through northern Galilee and ceremonies were held in the kibbutzim of which they had been members.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
