Eliezer Kashani ( he, אליעזר קשאני; 1923–1947) was an
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
member in
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
and one of the 12
Olei Hagardom
Olei Hagardom ( he, עולי הגרדום, lit. "those who ascended to the gallows") refers to members of the two Jewish Revisionist pre-state underground organisations Irgun and Lehi, who were tried in British Mandate courts and sentenced to ...
.
Early life
Kashani was born in
Petah Tikva to an impoverished
Persian-Jewish family with 4 brothers and 3 sisters.
In his youth he was a part of the
Maccabi movement, and he worked in a factory at age 13.
On August 23rd, 1944, Kashani was arrested by the British on suspicions of belonging to the
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
and sent to
Latrun
Latrun ( he, לטרון, ''Latrun''; ar, اللطرون, ''al-Latrun'') is a strategic hilltop in the Latrun salient in the Ayalon Valley, and a depopulated Palestinian village. It overlooks the road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, 25 kilometers ...
. He was eventually relocated to
Eritrea alongside 250 other Jewish prisoners. While in Africa, Kashani insisted on joining the Underground, although at first they would not accept him for being in detention. While in Eritrea, he learned English fluently. When he returned to Palestine, he became a prominent fighter for the
Irgun Zvai Leumi, despite the risk of being reported to the British police for being a suspect.
Activity in the Underground
In the Underground he dealt with intelligence, weapons, and military operations. He even began a course to become a commander, however he died before he could finish. On December 29, 1946, Kashani and four other
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
fighters,
Mordechai Alkahi,
Yehiel Dresner, Haim Gilad and Avraham Mizrahi, set out for action on what would be known as the
Night of the Beatings. At the Tayyasim Junction, the five of them encountered a police roadblock from which they opened fire. The driver, Mizrahi, died of his wounds. Eliezer and the three remaining fighters were caught and transferred to a nearby military camp, where they went through a series of torture. For 20 hours straight they were beaten. After five days in which they were humiliated and beaten, the fighters were transferred to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Trial and Execution
On February 10th, 1947, the four military trials were held. Alkahi, Kashani, Dresner, and Gilad wore khaki trousers and socks, black shoes, a grey coat, and blue-white skullcaps. The four denied the court's authority to try them and refused to respond to questions or accusations. After a short trial, the judges announced that the four were found guilty of carrying weapons. The punishment for Alkahi, Dresner and Kashani was death,
while Gilad, 17, was sentenced to life in prison. Just as the verdict was heard, the four rose up and sung
Hatikvah
Hatikvah ( he, הַתִּקְוָה, haTīqvā, ; ) is the national anthem of the State of Israel. Part of 19th-century Jewish poetry, the theme of the Romantic composition reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jewish people to return t ...
.
There was hope in the
Yishuv
Yishuv ( he, ישוב, literally "settlement"), Ha-Yishuv ( he, הישוב, ''the Yishuv''), or Ha-Yishuv Ha-Ivri ( he, הישוב העברי, ''the Hebrew Yishuv''), is the body of Jewish residents in the Land of Israel (corresponding to the ...
to rescue the three, who were not accused of bloodshed, but for holding weapons. In the Jerusalem prison, Kashani was sick, but refused to seek medical treatment as long as he was shackled in his cell. His family's pleas for a pardon were also rejected. His lawyer, who also handled his return from
Eritrea, pleaded with him to sign a plea for clemency, however Kashani said he did not recognize English rule and therefore would not sign any paper.
On April 15th, the four convicts were secretly transferred from Jerusalem to the
Acre Prison
Acre Prison also known as Akko Prison is a former prison and current museum in Acre, Israel.
The citadel was built during the Ottoman period over the ruins of a 12th-century Crusader fortress. The Ottomans used it at various times as a govern ...
. The next day, April 16th, 1947, at 4 AM, the four were brought to the gallows without prior warning, and without notifying their families. At the same time, the authorities hinted that their execution was not imminent, and several hours earlier, attorney Max Seligman, who handled their pardons was informed that there were no preparations yet for the executions. They sung
Hatikvah
Hatikvah ( he, הַתִּקְוָה, haTīqvā, ; ) is the national anthem of the State of Israel. Part of 19th-century Jewish poetry, the theme of the Romantic composition reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jewish people to return t ...
as they were brought to the gallows. Kashani was the last of the four to be hung.
The bodies of the four men were led by a convoy of tanks and armored cars to the city of
Safed, without informing the
Chevra kadisha
The term ''Chevra kadisha'' (Modern Hebrew: חֶבְרָה קַדִּישָׁא) gained its modern sense of "burial society" in the nineteenth century. It is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of deceased Je ...
or their family members, and they were placed half naked in the Mount Canaan police station. Their last request, to be buried in
Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pina or Rosh Pinna ( he, רֹאשׁ פִּנָּה, lit. ''Cornerstone'') is a local council in the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'an in the Northern District of Israel. It was established as Gei ...
, was not honored. At seven in the morning, the radio announced the executions, and a curfew was imposed in Palestine. In the morning, the people of Safed asked to take part in the cemetery, but this city too was under curfew. Nevertheless, hundreds of Jews arrived in the pouring rain to the cemetery, where the Jews of the gallows were buried next to the victims of the 1929 and 1936 riots. There was a great shock in the Yishuv over the hangings, and condemnation was voiced by many Jewish communities across the world. Some American priests even organized memorial assemblies.
Months later, British guards were still placed at the graves in
Safed so that the Irgun fighters would not remove the bodies and relocate them to
Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pina or Rosh Pinna ( he, רֹאשׁ פִּנָּה, lit. ''Cornerstone'') is a local council in the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'an in the Northern District of Israel. It was established as Gei ...
, as they had requested.
Legacy
Streets were named after Kashani in several Israeli cities, including
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
,
Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
,
Jaffa and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kashani, Eliezer
1923 births
1947 deaths
Mizrahi Jews
Iranian Jews
Sephardi Jews in Mandatory Palestine
Irgun members
Olei Hagardom
People from Petah Tikva