The story takes place during World War II as many Jews try to reach safety in Eretz Yisrael.
Lord
Moyne, British Minister of State for Middle Eastern Affairs, known for
his anti-Semetic and anti-Zionist beliefs, prevented these Jews from
reaching the safe shores of Mandatory Palestine. As a result, the
leaders of the Lehi underground decided that, in order to effect a
change in policy amongst the British leaders, Lord Moyne must be
eliminated.
Eliyahu
Chakim and Eliyahu Beit Tzuri were given the mission of assassinating
Lord Moyne. The mission was successful as he and his bodyguard were
assassinated in Cairo. As the Two Eliyahus made their escape on
motorcycles a British policeman shot and wounded Eliyahu Beit Tzuri.
Eliyahu Chakim stopped to help his partner and the two were arrested.
Following their trial in Cairo they were sentenced to death by hanging
and they were executed.
In
1975, at the initiative of MK Yitzchak Shamir, their bodies were
brought to Israel for burial. Also present at the arrival ceremony was
Geula Cohen who at a later date revealed what had happened when the two
coffins were opened:
"Shamir
walked towards the coffins. I followed him at a distance. They wouldn't
let me walk with him. The coffins were placed on the ground with a
military honor guard. Shamir reached the coffins and they began to open
them. It
was a spine-tingling moment. No one knew for sure what would be found
in the coffins. It became even more horrifying when the covers were
removed from the faces and we see two young and handsome faces staring
at us. Not a scratch, as if they had been born anew." (Wikipedia)
The
Cairo Jewish community, in recognition of the heroism of the Two
Eliyahus, dedicated a Torah in their memory and placed it in the Cairo
synagogue.
In
1962 Mr. Solomon Senior, a resident of Cairo at the time of the
assassination and an admirer of the Two Eliyahus, took the Torah to
Canada and placed it in Montreal's Beit Orah synagogue.
Years
later the congregation agreed to let the Torah be brought to Israel and
placed in the Jerusalem "Achdut Yisrael" synagogue named in memory of
those underground fighters who were hung by the British. In this
synagogue we can also find a Torah dedicated to the memory of Yitzchak
and Shulamit Shamir.
I
merited seeing the Torah which told the story of the heroism of the Two
Eliyahus and their stand against British hostility in Eretz Yisrael.
May their memory be a blessing.
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